


The Dragonblood Chronicles: Before the End

by IceKrystal13



Category: Original Work
Genre: Backstory, F/F, F/M, Gen, High Fantasy, One Shot Collection, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-07-25 07:57:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 29,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7524679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceKrystal13/pseuds/IceKrystal13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of short stories about the lives of the characters in The Dragonblood Chronicles before the series begins. More characters will be listed as more stories are added.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shevon Ryder

**Author's Note:**

> Part 1: Shevon thought it would just be another guide through the forest, like any other day. She was sorely mistaken. No one survives a Fey encounter, yet here she is.

It was a typical day in the tavern. Boisterous men were getting drunk and hitting on the serving girls or picking fights with each other. I tended to avoid those idiots like the plague, and today was no different. I was content at my table in one of the far corners of the room, working on some minor adjustments to my bow.

String music was playing in the background, which helped me block out as much of the ruckus as possible. I would have been working in my room, but whoever the hell was in the room next to mine thought midday was the perfect time to roll in the hay with one of the serving girls. I swore to all of the gods in this damn universe that this place was turning more into a brothel every day. But it was the only place in this stupid town that would give a _knife ears_ like me a room. And it was better than sleeping in the forest in the middle of winter.

But then, out of the blue, everything went silent. Even the music stopped. I looked up to see what the hell was wrong, only to see that it had walked right through the front door. Daemoni mercenaries… I recognized them immediately.

The Daemoni were what were left of the once great Daemonium Empire. They were said to be descended from the unions of demons and human women, but I didn't put much stock into that. They were insanely tall, with gray skin, horns that resembled a sheep's, and pointed tails. Most humans are utterly terrified of them, but they're terrified of anyone who is different from them.

But this particular group of mercenaries, the Grey Demons… I was well acquainted with them. And not in a good way. I had been guiding a noble family through the forest, as was my self appointed job, and they had been hired to off all of them. I had gotten in the way, and helped the family escape, as protection was part of the job. I didn't know if they were still alive, and frankly, I could care less. But the Grey Demons had never gotten over my interference.

So… I assumed they were here to see me. _Great_. My day had been made.

I returned my attention to my bow as the music started playing again and all the gawking humans returned to whatever they had been doing before. But I didn't get very far before someone had to impale their dagger into the poor wood of the table, pinning down a piece of paper with it.

"Shevon Ryder..." The deep, guttural voice of the leader of the mercenaries grated on my nerves. "I've been looking all over for you."

I glanced up to see one of my most favorite people in the entire world. He was the tallest Daemoni in his troupe of sell swords, towering above everyone in the entire tavern. Thick black hair swept back on his skull around the two bulking ram's horns that curved into spirals on the sides of his head. He wore less armor than his men, to the point where the tunic under his breastplate was sleeveless, giving everyone a good look at his huge arms. I swore to the gods that his arms were as thick around as my torso.

"Marduk," I said. "What did this poor table ever do to you?"

The brute rolled his eyes. "Don't play games with me, Ryder. I'm not visiting for pleasure."

I snorted a laugh. "If you were, you're talking to the wrong girl."

Daemoni were notorious for being hedonists. Some say it's because of their demon blood. Naturally, I don't believe that. But the Daemoni care more about pleasure and having fun than anything. Sometimes—okay, maybe a _lot_ of the time—their definition of fun is different from the rest of society's. Like murder, for example. But being a mercenary to get your kicks out of murder was apparently acceptable. Logic.

Marduk wasn't amused by my quip, however, according to that scowl on his face. "You should give up on being a jester, girl. Your humor isn't amusing in the slightest. In fact, you should be thanking me, going out of my way to help you like this."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why in Ilmarinen's name would you help me?"

"Perhaps I'm merely feeling generous."

"And I'm the queen of Taeneia," I muttered, before looking down at whatever he had impaled to the table with his knife.

It was an old photograph… which was surprising. Cameras had only been invented like two decades ago, almost as old as I was. It was faded in black and white, with the edges frayed in place. This had seen better days, that was for sure. There was even… an old dark red splotch stained into the paper… Blood by the looks of it. Frowning, I examined the actual picture.

It was of a beautiful elf woman and her small child, probably no older than one or two. The woman was strikingly familiar… even though the photograph was fading. She had thick, curly black hair that cascaded down from her shoulders, braids woven into the sides of her head, above her sharply pointed ears. Though her skin was shown as dark gray in the photo, I imagined that it was a shade not far off from my own brown skin. Her servant's dress hung slightly off her willowy body, and she was tall; I could tell that much in the photograph. And she was smiling warmly, holding her child tenderly in her lap as they posed for the photographer.

And the child… was a little girl. She resembled her mother greatly, with dark, thick curly hair, and a darker skin tone. Dark freckles were splashed over the bridge of her nose and cheekbones. Her hair almost reached her shoulders already, and was braided in a similar fashion to the woman's, but with low pigtails instead of being just down. Her ears, just like mine, weren't as sharply pointed as other elves'; they were slightly rounded, with only the tips having that telltale point. She was wearing a frilly looking dress, like a hand me down from a royal or something.

But the familiarity… This woman looked like my mother. And the child could pass as a much younger me.

I looked up at the Daemoni suspiciously. "Where the hell did you get this?"

Marduk shrugged indifferently. "What does it matter? I also got this."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out something, and dropped it onto the table. A golden signet ring rolled along the ridges of the wood before coming to a stop right in front of me. With narrowed eyes, I carefully picked it up and examined the crest engraved into the metal. It was an elaborate coat of arms that was sort of hard for me to make out, probably because of the dim lighting in the tavern. But it did look vaguely familiar. I just couldn't place it.

"Look inside the band," Marduk said.

Fighting the urge to scowl at him telling me what to do, I tilted the ring so I could get a better look. There was a name engraved there: _Siobhán Taranis_. That was a weird name. Siobhán looked Elvish but I had no idea how to pronounce it. I was an elf, but like most of my people in Niralle, we had lost our connection to Taeneia, the homeland of elves. We were either slaves or second class citizens desperately trying to regain our culture by living in ghettos sectioned away from the humans. I was one of the few in neither lifestyle.

"Found those things on a bunch of bandits," Marduk stated gruffly. "They've been looking for you, and foolishly tried to get information out of my men."

I stiffened. Bandits, huh…? I knew they'd catch up to me eventually.

"Are they still alive?" I asked, looking back up at him.

"My men let one of them go to give their moronic leader a message," he snorted. "But the rest of the lot that attacked us are ten feet under. _You're welcome_."

This time, I did scowl. "What the hell do you want, Marduk? You don't do anything from the kindness of your heart. If you even _have_ a heart."

Marduk shrugged indifferently. "There is nothing I want at this _moment_. But there will come a time where I will require repayment."

"...You did this so you could get something out of me later," I retorted. "Ugh, whatever. As long as it's not too outlandish, I don't care."

Marduk gave an amused smirk. "I'm glad we've come to an agreement, Ryder. Just remember… stepping back from your word will result in death."

I scowled. "Yeah, yeah, I'm aware."

"Good. Until then, Shevon Ryder."

I watched as he pulled his dagger out of the table, leaving behind the photo and ring as he and the rest of the Daemoni then proceeded to leave the tavern. Almost as soon as they were gone, the music picked up again and everyone started talking more freely. Everyone was still utterly terrified of the Daemoni even though it had been many centuries since their rule. Humans could be so pathetic. Was there anything that didn't scare them? Probably not.

I took the picture and ring to tuck them both away carefully into my pack where it sat on the table next to my bow. Finally, some peace. But then something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye, and I looked up to see that someone else had entered the tavern. But this time, it was someone hidden by a fancy looking black cloak. No one else was paying them any mind, so I returned my attention, yet again, to my bow.

"Um… pardon me."

Barely had I gotten maybe a minute or two of work in when another voice spoke to me. But instead of the gruff drawl of Marduk, I heard much softer, almost soothing feminine voice, with a foreign accent I had never heard before. Utterly confused, I looked up to see that the cloaked person had approached my table. I guess they were a woman, then.

"Can I help you?" I asked, not even bothering to mask the irritation in my voice.

"Um… yes. The bartender said you're the guide through the forest."

Thank the gods that I was finally being interrupted because of _business_. I was getting low on coin. There were other means to getting money than this, but… I rather not have to resort to that again. It was bad enough that I had to when I was barely a teenager.

"Yeah, that's me," I said. "You want to get through the forest? Which side is your destination?"

"Um… north," the cloaked woman answered hesitantly, like she wasn't sure herself.

Damn… Most people headed east or west, which was much shorter of a trip. Heading north meant you had to trek through the entire forest. It would take days to do that. I always charged extra for that. But judging by how well tailored her cloak was… she probably could afford spending a little more coin.

"Well, north's the longest route," I said. "That's gonna cost you… five sovereigns."

Okay, honestly, I only charged one gold. But if I could get more out of a rich person, I wasn't going to waste that chance. It was survival of the fittest out here.

She reached into her cloak, and pulled out a coin purse. Moments later, five gold coins dropped onto the table. The rattling caught everyone's attention, and the entire room seemed to freeze at the sight of so much money. I had been pushing it, but even I was shocked.

"There's your coin," she said. "How much time do you need to prepare? I'm in a hurry."

I slowly reached over to scoop up the coins. Branwen's ass, I hadn't seen this much gold ever before in my life. I was _rich_. I could probably buy my own place with this, and a decent one at that. Plus a pedigreed horse so I wouldn't have to walk everywhere and wear out my boots every two or three months. I couldn't believe she just gave me that much coin without complaint.

"I need more time to make weapons repairs," I answered. "But I should be ready by eight o'clock tonight. Is that acceptable?"

She nodded. "Yes. I will be at the inn in the meantime."

Before I could comment that elves were not allowed inside the inn, she had turned around and walked away, leaving the tavern. I let out an exasperated sigh. Either she had no experience with elves, which was farfetched considering where we were, or she just didn't care. This would be an interesting next several days…

* * *

I finished repairing my bow, and spent the last hour organizing my gear and deciding what I would need to bring. My weapons were a given. I used my bow mostly for hunting, but long range fighting was preferred when I wasn't on my own. For melee combat, I had dual swords. Not typical for an elf, but I live to surprise. My game bag was separate from my main pack, because putting dead animals in with the rest of your belongings was just a bad idea. I had my coin purse, matches, two water skins, a sleeping bag, a tent in case it rained, my first aid kit, a coil of rope, my compass, my binoculars, my cooking kit… I think that was good.

I grabbed my leather fleece lined jacket and pulled it on, because despite it being the middle of spring, it could still get chilly at night. I strapped my swords' sheathes to my back before slinging on my quiver full of arrows and slipping my bow up over my head to rest across my torso. Then I grabbed my pack and game bag to throw over my shoulder, turned off the gas lamp, stepped out into the hall, locked my door, and headed out of the tavern.

I stepped outside into the fresh, clean air. Smelling booze and smoke all the time could be seriously obnoxious. The sun wasn't completely set yet, leaving us at dusk. Traveling at dark wasn't always the best idea, but the forest wasn't dangerous because of _bandits_. I had called the forest my home for three years, so no one knew it as well as I did.

I reached the inn a few minutes later. It was near the center of town, where the nicest houses were. A family owned inn, it was the best place to stay in the entire village. And of course, only humans were allowed to rent rooms there. I stopped outside, not daring to try to go inside. Pretty sure half of the village already considered me a menace.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait very long. Maybe a minute or two later, the door of the inn opened up and the cloaked woman stepped out. I couldn't tell if she was truly prepared for a long trek, but she probably had her gear hidden underneath that cloak.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked.

She nodded—or at least I think she did. "Yes. Lead the way."

I gestured for her to follow me, and began to head towards the forest. We needed to cover as much ground as possible before camping for the night.

I honestly preferred the forest at night. It was quiet and peaceful. The crickets' constant chirping was soothing and helped me stay relaxed, compared to how wound up I got in civilization. I was attuned to the forest, and could sense when there were animals nearby. But the animals weren't dangerous. The wolves and bears would leave you alone unless you gave them a reason to attack.

Despite walking for about a half an hour into the woods, my client had yet to take off her cloak. We were walking in complete darkness; I never used torches. I… did not have a good history with fire. And there was no way in hell that I was bringing fire into my safe haven. It wasn't worth the risk.

I wasn't a prying person. If she wanted to keep her identity a secret, that was fine with me. All I cared about was making coin so I could survive. But something about this was making me uneasy. Why would a noblewoman need to be so undercover?

We were coming up to a fallen tree. It wasn't too large. I could probably jump over it with ease. I picked up my pace a little to add some momentum before vaulting myself over the trunk. My boots crunched on some twigs that were on the ground, and I turned around to see the woman hesitating in front of the tree.

"Do you need help?" I asked, though I already knew the answer to that question.

She nodded, and I reached over to hold out my hand for her to take. She accepted it, and I was caught off guard by how soft and smooth her hand was. I was so used to mine being rough with callouses from all the hard work I did. This just confirmed that she was a noble.

So I helped her over, but as soon as her feet hit the ground on the other side of the log, she stumbled forward, nearly bumping right into me. The clumsy movement also knocked the hood of her cloak back.

"S-Sorry!" the woman stammered, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to step on your foot..."

...Well… I hadn't been expecting this.

The noblewoman was actually a noble _girl_. She couldn't have been much older than me, if not younger. She had a youthful, babyish round face, large gray eyes, pale blonde hair that looked silver in the moonlight that cascaded down way past her shoulders, and full, pouty lips that probably contributed to a really terrifying puppy dog face if she tried.

"...It's fine," I muttered, trying not to be distracted by how cute she was.

"Oh!" Her eyes widened, like she just realized something. "I never introduced myself! My name is, um, Cassandra."

So _now_ she decided to tell me her name? Sheesh, this girl was weird.

"I'm Shevon," I said, turning around. "Let's keep moving."

"R-Right!"

I decided to keep moving for another half an hour before setting up camp. My client was starting to look a bit fatigued. So I found us a suitable place to set up—a small clearing that would still give us cover just in case we got attacked. I got a fire going while Cassandra put up her tent, which she seemed to know how to do just fine. That meant she had experience traveling. This girl was getting more mysterious by the minute. Just what was she up to?

I was content to just sit by the fire for now, taking out one of my water skins for a drink. I was feeling a little tired myself, but not enough to call it a night. I wanted to keep watch a little. What Marduk said still made me paranoid about the bandits. You could never be too careful.

I had expected to be alone for the rest of the night, but Cassandra surprised me again by coming back out of her tent. She came over to sit down next to me on the log I had hauled over to have something to sit on. She carefully spread out her cloak around her, snuggling into it. I had half a mind to straight up ask her what her angle was, but she looked… _delicate_ , so I decided not to.

"You should sleep," I said instead. "We'll be walking all day tomorrow."

"O-Oh..." She looked down. "I wanted to talk to you…"

"...Why?"

"B-Because..." She started chewing on her bottom lip. "The truth is, I… I've been looking for you."

I narrowed my eyes. " _What?_ "

"Please, just hear me out." She looked up at me anxiously. "I'm… I'm a mage. A seer, specifically. I have… visions. And for the past year, I… I've been having visions about you."

"...About _what_ , exactly?" I asked warily.

"Well, um..." She looked away, like she was pondering over how to word it all. "You are going to embark on a journey that will decide the fate of the world!"

...Great, I was escorting a lunatic.

"Right. Sure. I'm _so_ going to save the world someday." I returned my attention to the crackling fire.

"...You don't believe me, do you?"

"Me? Save the world?" I scoffed. "That demon god… whatever his name is, will come back before I save the damn world."

"It wasn't… exactly _you_..." She looked down again. "My visions were mostly about you, but… there was another girl."

"Another?" I asked skeptically.

"Yes. She..."

"She…?" I prompted, raising an eyebrow.

"I… probably shouldn't say." Her cheeks tinted pink.

...Whatever. This was all a bunch of crap anyways. Maybe magic was real, but I really doubted the gods sent certain mages visions of the future. I rubbed my eyes wearily. Ugh… why did I have to be stuck with Miss Crazy Dream Girl? Maybe I needed to start evaluating my clients.

"Suit yourself," I said, taking another drink of water. If only I had something stronger…

This was going to be a long week.

* * *

The next morning, I got up as soon as the sun started to rise. Cassandra was still in her tent, surprise surprise, so I decided to go find the stream that should be nearby to refill the water skins. Feeling the chilly air, I zipped up my jacket and slipped on my gloves before heading off. The campsite should be fine without me for a few minutes.

I carefully picked my way through the trees; it was still pretty dark, after all. Barely any sunlight was trickling down through the branches. But as an elf, I still could see fine. I swore humans were the only ones who had trouble seeing in darkness.

A couple of minutes later, I reached the stream. It ran through the entire forest, trickling over rocks of various sizes. It wasn't very wide, but it served as a water source for most of the forest animals. The water was crystal clear, and it looked beautiful in daylight.

I crouched down in front of the stream, and slipped my fingers into the flowing liquid. The water was cool to the touch, something familiar compared to this bizarre situation I found myself in. I set down the water skins so I could gather some of the water into my cupped hands to splash my face with it. That helped me wake up more. Wiping my face with my sleeve, I let out a heavy sigh as I looked down at the stream again.

What the hell had I gotten myself into?

I lowered myself so I was sitting down, figuring I might as well try to relax while I was away from that crazy girl. I reached into my pack to pull out that photograph Marduk had given me. It was too dark to make it out perfectly, but I still wanted to look at it again. The weirdest part about it was that the woman was dressed like a servant, but the girl was wearing a dress fit for a princess.

I rubbed my eyes, brushing my bangs away from my eyes. I wish Marduk hadn't just handed these things over to me without finding out more information—unless he was keeping it from me. I wouldn't put that past him.

Very softly, I heard a twig snap several feet to my left. On reflex, I pulled off my bow and put an arrow to the bowstring, pointing it at whoever had dared to try to sneak up on me. There, standing next to an oak tree that had probably seen better days, was the strangest elf I had ever seen before in my life—if I could even _call_ him an elf.

He was built like an elf—tall and willowy, carved with lean, wiry muscle, with high cheekbones, a sharp nose, and pointed ears with completely straight edges. However, there was something very much wrong about him, no matter how handsome he was. His skin was black—and I wasn't talking about how like my skin was dark. His skin was _ebony_ , pure black, like the shade you'd see on a horse. He had pin straight snow white hair pulled back into a tight high ponytail that cascaded down way past his shoulders. And his eyes were _red_. Even his armor was unlike anything I had ever seen before—tightly fitting, plated but made of pure black leather, with fur lining and silver spikes on the shoulders. It looked like he had a huge greatsword sheathed to his back.

"Not another step," I threatened darkly, not budging an inch.

"Ah..." The strange elf smiled, revealing oddly sharp teeth. "And so I find myself held at arrowpoint by yet another lovely lady."

I narrowed my eyes, trying to ignore the fact that his voice had an inexplicable alluring quality to it. "If you think you can flirt your way out of me killing you, you're sorely mistaken."

Still, he laughed. "A death at the hands of such a beautiful maiden would be quite the death indeed."

I scowled. "Give me one reason not to plant this in your skull right now."

"Would you truly kill a fellow elf for accidentally sneaking up on you?" he asked.

I glowered harder… but lowered my bow. The strange elf immediately relaxed, even letting out a sigh of relief as his shoulders slumped. I quickly put the photo away, and stood up, not taking my hands off my bow and arrow. Something still felt… off about this man. Besides, what was he doing in the forest so early in the morning? And what was with his _skin_?

"What are you doing in my forest?" I asked warily.

"Oh? This is _your_ forest?" he asked in mock surprise, placing a hand over his heart. "My apologies, m'lady. I did not intend to trespass."

His tone irritated me even more, making me scowl again. "Enough nonsense. Answer the damn question, _or so help me…_ "

"Or you'll do _what?_ "

Another voice sounded from behind me. But this voice was not as enticing as the voice of the elf before me. No… this voice was smooth and feminine, like honey, yet it was like daggers piercing my skin. It made my skin crawl, made my blood run cold. Whoever was behind me… was the true threat here.

I turned around to see who this intruder was, but as soon as I did so, I wished I hadn't.

She resembled the other elf enough that I guessed they were siblings, but she had an ethereal beauty that made me wonder if I was dreaming. She had the usual tall, willowy figure, but was slightly more filled out than a typical elf. She also had the ebony skin and white hair, though hers curled elegantly, reaching all the way down to her waist. Her eyes were the same shade of startling red, but they seemed to burn coldly. She was wearing armor of the same material, but it appeared lighter, more suited for a different kind of combat. In her hand was a charred wooden staff.

"Maeve! What a pleasant surprise! Who knew I'd bump into my beloved sister here?"

The elf woman, who I assumed was named Maeve, narrowed her eyes, giving him a hard look as she strode over to where he was standing. "Aeron. Your easygoing attitude is why this wretch dared to threaten you."

" _Excuse_ me?!" I demanded. "Who _are_ you people?!"

Two sets of blood red eyes flickered over to me. My grip on my bow tightened. I felt extremely threatened just by them looking at me.

Finally, Maeve gave me her own sharp-toothed smirk. "I would be more concerned about your precious little cargo, no?"

For a moment, I was completely confused, but then it hit me like a ton of bricks. Cassandra! I had left her alone so I could replenish our water supply!

Without another word, I took off back towards the campsite.

* * *

Thank the gods that everything was fine when I returned. Cassandra hadn't even woken up yet. But with those weird elves in the forest, I didn't dare leave her by herself now. I had no idea what they were up to in here, and I sure did not trust them. When I went back to get water with Cassandra with me, they were long gone. And after a quick breakfast, we started moving again.

I was content to just not talk, especially after she revealed how crazy she was, but she didn't seem to share the sentiment.

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?" she asked, looking up at me with an accusatory expression on her youthful face.

"You? Nah."

Even her scowl was so cute I couldn't take it seriously. "I'm telling the truth!"

"And I'm the queen of Taeneia," I deadpanned.

She puffed out her cheeks, crossing her arms over her chest in a huff. "More like the jerk queen of Taeneia."

I snorted, mildly amused by her lame attempt to insult me. "Thanks."

"I didn't expect you to be so cruel," she muttered.

"Cruel?" I scoffed. "If you think _I'm_ mean, you haven't seen anything yet."

Seriously… just how naive was this girl? I knew I wasn't the nicest person in the world, but I wasn't pointlessly cruel. I simply cared about myself above others. It was all about survival out here. You couldn't afford to be kind to others sometimes. And I would do anything to survive. That was all that mattered to me. Call it selfish if you want, but that was how I lived.

Cassandra sighed softly, looking down at the ground as we walked. "It's just… the world is not as I expected it would be."

...Confirmed to be incredibly naive, then.

"The world isn't all sunshine and rainbows," I said. "There are terrible people out there. People who wouldn't think twice about killing you… or worse."

She glanced up at me, confusion flickering over her face. "What could be worse than death?"

I fought the urge to laugh at her ridiculous question. "I can think of a few things."

Slavery. Rape. Demon possession. Those were the first things to pop into my head. Sometimes all three went together. You never knew anymore these days.

"You… You have no faith in people, do you?"

I snorted. "The only person I trust is myself. No one else— _especially_ humans—is trustworthy enough to gain my faith."

What elf trusted humans, anyway? All they did was blame us for who knows what and start a war with us after the Daemonium Empire was destroyed. And don't even get me started on how the humans started kidnapping elf children to make slaves out of them. I didn't even care that I was saying this straight to a human's face.

"O-Oh..." Her gaze flickered down to the ground again. "I… I'm sorry for whatever transgressions my kind have done against you."

I stopped dead in my tracks to turn and face her. She stumbled a little in surprise, almost tripping over a stick on the leaf littered ground, before stopping, too. I just narrowed my eyes, scrutinizing this strange girl. What the hell was she up to? What did she _want_ from me?

"Where I come from, humans and elves live together peacefully," Cassandra said, meeting my gaze. "I didn't know how bad it was in the rest of the world… and it's not right. I think everyone should be treated equally."

"So is this your way of trying to get on my good side?" I asked suspiciously. "I don't know where in Aetaren you're from, but simply saying _'I think it should be this way'_ isn't going to change jack shit. Unless you're a filthy rich noble or something."

"Something along those lines..."

Great. So not only was my client mentally unstable, but she was a mentally unstable _noble_. My assumptions towards her when we first met were correct, then. I let out a sigh, reaching up to run my hand through my bangs. I couldn't believe this was only the second day of this journey.

"Let's keep moving," I said, not wanting to dwell on this any longer. " _Milady_."

For some reason, her cheeks flushed. "O-Of course."

Ugh. At least I had gotten gold out of her.

* * *

It was around noon, so we stopped for lunch. Cassandra insisted on preparing the rabbits I had shot for us, so I decided to climb a tree to scout out the area. It felt good to have my jacket off; I disliked restricting clothing. Still, I managed to scale the tree with ease and perched on the highest branch that could hold me. I pulled out my binoculars to take a look around.

From what I could tell, everything looked like a normal forest day. But my encounter with the two dark elves had put me on edge, so I was searching for any signs of them. It took me a couple of minutes, but I found them. And much to my displeasure, they were not alone.

I had spotted an entire group of those ebony-skinned, white-haired elves. There had to be at least eight of them, including the two I had met. They were traveling ahead of us, going deeper into the forest. What business did they have here? How did they even know the way out? That is, if they were trying to leave the woods.

This was making me even more tense. What were the chances of a weird group of elves showing up the same time I took a mysterious noble girl as a client? There was no such thing as coincidences in my life. And the path they were following… if we kept on heading in the same direction as we were now, we would eventually bump into them.

Maybe I was just being paranoid… but I always followed my gut instincts. And this felt very, very wrong. I needed to carefully plot out the paths we took from now on.

I put the binoculars back into my pack, and took a moment to just lean against the trunk of the tree. I could feel the rough bark through my thin sleeveless tunic, but it was nice. Sometimes, I really missed living in the forest, among nature. There were no people to bother me, for one. But having no access to important things, like new clothes and supplies, was a huge downside.

I sighed, and then forced myself to climb back down the tree to rejoin Cassandra. I couldn't leave her alone for too long, after all. I could… reminiscence some other time.

* * *

We got maybe a fourth through the forest. Night had fallen, so we set up camp for the night. Dinner went by in a blur. I had just found some quail to roast over the fire, and they were scrawnier than usual. We had gathered some berries to munch on as well. I was still hungry, but that was nothing I wasn't used to.

"Um… Shevon?"

I looked over to see that Cassandra had come over to sit next to me again. I almost groaned out loud. What did she want _now?_ If this wasn't important, I was just going to tell her to leave me alone.

"What?" I asked, not caring that my tone was harsh.

She winced slightly. "About my visions..."

This time, I _did_ groan. "Not this again."

She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "I had a new one last night. About… About the Fey."

The Fey… That was what humans had taken to calling fairies. It was always said that the Fey were elves that had been corrupted by dark magic. But "dark magic" as the humans called it didn't exist. The only truly evil magic was blood magic, but humans considered anything they didn't understand _evil_. But no one had ever seen a Fey before and lived, so nobody knew what they looked like.

"What about them?" I asked indifferently, looking down at the fire again.

"They're in the forest."

For a moment, I wondered if I had heard her correctly. "...Excuse me?"

"The Fey are in the forest," she repeated, meeting my gaze. "They're looking for something… I'm not sure what exactly, but that's why they're here."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "How do you even know it was the Fey in your dream?"

She frowned in confusion. "What do you mean, how do I know? Isn't it common knowledge that the Fey are ebony-skinned elves?"

Did she just say…

There was _no_ way… If those two elves I had met were Fey, how in Ilmarinen's name was I still alive? And if her visions weren't real… how the hell did she knows about those dark elves? I hadn't said a word about them to her. I… didn't want to admit it, but… maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe she really _was_ a seer…

"No… No, it's not common knowledge," I said. "The dead can't exactly share their experiences with the Fey."

"Yes, I imagine they ca—oh."

"...But I'm alive so I can talk." I scowled at the fire. "Earlier, when I was scouting, I bumped into two ebony-skinned elves. Their names were Aeron and Maeve. If they're the Fey… why did they spare me?"

Her eyes widened. "Did you say… _Aeron and Maeve?_ "

I narrowed my eyes. "Yeah. Should I know those names?"

She shook her head. "No, but… never mind, I shouldn't say."

And so the enigmas would continue. Great. Would I ever get a straight answer out of her? Probably not. I didn't bother holding back the sigh building up in my throat, and I pushed myself up off the log I was sitting on.

"Well, we better start keeping watch, then. I'll take first shift. You get some sleep."

Before she could respond, I grabbed my bow and headed off to find a tree to perch in that would give me a good view of the campsite and the surrounding area. I swore this trip couldn't get any worse danger wise.

But what I wanted to know was why those two Fey had spared me.

* * *

Day three arrived without any life altering events.

I took note that clouds were forming in the sky. And they weren't the friendly white puffy clouds. They were the heavy, dark storm clouds. We were due for rain anyways. I just hoped it wouldn't rain too hard, and that we were able to find suitable shelter if it did happen. We both had tents, but with the Fey in the forest, using them would basically be saying, "Hey, we're here! Come kill us!"

The atmosphere was heavy with humidity, and it was obviously taking a toll on Cassandra. Even after ditching her cloak, she was already drenched in sweat. She kept on brushing her hair away from her face, but it kept on sticking back on her skin every time. She really didn't look like she was doing so good. Meanwhile, I felt perfectly fine, barely breaking a sweat.

But we couldn't keep on going like this if she was getting this exhausted. Looking around, I took note of our surroundings. The stream that ran through the forest should pass through nearby. Some fresh, cool water should do both of us some good. So, mentally altering our course, I gestured for her to follow me as I veered to the left.

But I didn't calculate her clumsiness coming into play as she stumbled over the fallen branch I easily stepped over. Yelping as she tumbled forward, she fell right into me. If I hadn't caught her, she might have took me down with her.

"S-Sorry!" she stammered, her cheeks blazing scarlet. "I… I didn't mean to..."

I rolled my eyes before pushing her away. "You really need to watch your step."

"R-Right… My apologies..."

Turning back around, I started walking again. I really wondered how somebody could be that clumsy and not be dead. Maybe in another world, if I was a guy, this journey was meant for us to fall madly in love even though we barely knew each other and consummate our relationship before the seven days were over, and then in a heated battle with the Fey, I would sacrifice myself to save her life, leaving her all alone, but with an unborn child to remember me by. That sounded like a story one of the bards who frequented the tavern liked to tell.

Good thing I wasn't a guy. Damsels in distress were annoying anyways.

A few minutes later, we reached the stream. The water was still flowing gently over the rocky bottom, reminding me of how the forest would continue to thrive no matter what happened here with those mysterious Fey. Not waiting for Cassandra, I crouched down in front of it to refill the water skins.

"Are we taking a break?" she asked.

I nodded. "You need to cool down."

Once the water skins were filled to the brim with fresh water, I put them away in my pack. Then, cupping my hands together, I scooped up some water to splash my face and rub on the back of my neck, under my braid. I wasn't that hot, but it still felt good.

I looked over at Cassandra to see what she was doing, only for my eyes to widen in shock. "What are you _doing_?"

She had started to take off her clothes. Nudity wasn't an issue for me—I could care less, and we were both female—but stripping in the middle of a forest when there were enemies running about was not the _brightest_ idea.

She looked up at me in confusion. "You said to cool down."

"Yes, but a stream isn't exactly a place to swim." I fought the urge to slap my forehead. "What do you plan to do, lay on the hard rocks and let the water rush over you?"

"O-Oh… good point..." She started sliding her tunic back down. "If there anywhere I _can_ swim? It would be really nice..."

I sighed, looking down at the stream again. "This feeds into a spring deeper in the forest. We could _try_ to go there, but it's far off the path we're taking."

"How much will it derail us?" she inquired.

I scratched my chin, trying to figure it out in my head. "It can be cut down to an hour if we keep a brisk pace."

"All right, I want to go there," she declared.

I _knew_ she was going to say that. I let out an exasperated sigh, but nodded. If that was what my client wanted, I would just have to show her the way and deal with it. I mean, what could happen? So far nothing bad had happened. Hopefully this wouldn't be pushing our luck.

* * *

We reached the spring without any trouble, though I was still slightly annoyed by the detour. I decided it would be best to climb one of the trees surrounding the area so I could keep a lookout while Cassandra swam. Once I was sure that everything was clear, I gave her the signal that it was safe to go in the water.

I was content to stay up in the tree, where a gentle breeze was blowing, keeping me cool. It was also nice to get away from her and her crazy visions. I believed her now, of course, but seers weren't a type of mage I was familiar with.

Elves, in general, are a magical species. Every elf is born with the innate ability to use magic of some kind. Well, magic works that way regardless. You're either born with it or not. Dwarves are the only ones who can't use magic at all. Even one of the dragon tribes, back when dragons weren't extinct, had been made of entirely of mages. Elves tend to have nature related magic, to the point where humans thought we participated in barbaric religious practices, when in reality it was just that Taeneia took criminal justice very seriously.

But despite being an elf, I had yet to even figure out what type of magic I had. I had never done anything even remotely magical before in my life. It wasn't like I had ever been to Taeneia. Everything I knew about the kingdom was from books, when I taught myself how to read. But I only ever read books written by elves when it came to learning about the homeland. I didn't trust humans to tell the truth, not after the war they waged on us for being heathens.

Magic was so intertwined with their society, they even had a council of _druids_ as they called them right under the queen in power. Druids were supposedly the most powerful mages in the entire world, and were able to call on the very essence of the earth itself to fuel their magic. They were also supposed to be ancient and all knowing. Apparently it was every elven mage's dream to rise to the rank of druid in their lifetime.

Everything was so _peaceful_ … I decided to lean against the tree and close my eyes for a little bit. It couldn't hurt, relaxing while I had the chance.

* * *

Screaming woke me up.

I jolted up so quickly I almost lost my balance and fell off the tree branch. Dammit, I hadn't meant to fall asleep! Looking down, I saw that Cassandra had gotten out of the water, but was only halfway done with getting dressed, with only her long tunic covering her small frame. She had stumbled backwards, falling down, and I saw why.

The Fey had found us.

One in particular, a male, was creeping towards Cassandra where she sat on the ground, eyes wide with fear, with his sword pointed right out at her.

"Well well well, lookie what we have here," the Fey snickered. "I know a virgin when I smell one. And that hair! Do you think she's got the golden blood, boys?"

I realized the entire group was full of males. There was no sign of the two Fey I had met. They must have split up into two groups, then. But what in Ilmarinen's name were they talking about? Golden blood? Blood was only red last time I checked.

Another dark elf approached, pulling a jagged edged dagger out of the sheath attached to his belt. "There's only one way to find out."

Cassandra's eyes got even wider, if that was possible, and her bottom lip began to quiver. "P-Please don't hurt me!"

"Aw, did you hear that?" the first Fey asked. "She's begging us to leave her alone! It's been a while since I've heard a human beg. Gets me all excited!"

What kind of sick bastards _were_ these people? I guess it didn't really matter. I needed to do something. They hadn't noticed me yet, which means I had the element of surprise on my side. I slowly slipped my bow up over my head, and drew an arrow, putting it to the bowstring. I squinted as I aimed right at the Fey that was closest to my client. And then I let the arrow fly. It hit the Fey right in the chest, and he let out a strangled cry as he was knocked to the ground. I quickly pulled out another arrow and let it fly, killing the Fey with the dagger.

But they had noticed me now, scattering and shouting about the woman in the tree. I fired another arrow, and another Fey dropped to the ground. I fired again, and downed a fourth Fey. By now, though, they had gathered themselves for a counterattack with their own bows. I quickly ducked in an attempt to avoid the incoming onslaught, but still took an arrow to the shoulder. With gritted teeth, I pulled it out and put it to my bowstring. I let it fly within seconds of aiming, killing another one of them.

My shoulder had started to go numb, and I felt lightheaded. Ugh… what was on that arrow? Was it poisoned? I tried to draw another arrow but the numbness was going all the way down my arm, and spreading to my side. Black dots danced across my vision as the numbness reached my fingers and the arrow slipped from my hand.

Dammit-

I couldn't even finish that thought because everything went black.

* * *

"Most fascinating. Isn't she fascinating, sister? I've never smelled a scent so intriguing—elf, but not elf… human, but not human. I didn't even consider that a human would want to touch an elf in such _naughty_ ways."

"Cease your ramblings, Aeron. I'm trying to think."

Voices pounded on my head, knocking me out of unconsciousness. My body was no longer numb. I could feel some kind of rough rope bound around my wrists, my hands tied to something above my head. My ankles were also bound in a similar fashion. My entire body did ache though, probably from being roughly handled while I was out. I slowly opened my eyes, only to be blinded by daylight.

"Oh! M'lady awakens!" Aeron grinned cheerfully, flashing that creepily sharpened pearly whites of his, crouched in front of me. "Welcome back, beautiful madam."

"Where's… Where's..." The words stumbled out of my mouth as I tried to regain my full mind. "Where's Cassandra? What did you do with her?"

"Ah… the tiny maiden with you?" Aeron stood up, and looked back at his sister, who was standing a few feet away, her back to us. "Maeve gave the men permission to play with her."

My blood ran cold. There was only one meaning to what he just said…

"You sick bastards," I spat.

"We are the Fey," Maeve stated, her ethereal voice like ice. "What did you expect? She does not have the golden blood we seek, therefore she is no use to us, other than entertainment."

"...Golden blood?" I repeated, wondering if I could get her to monologue so I could find out what the hell this was all about.

She snorted. "You really believe I would divulge so delicate information? Nice try, Siobhán."

I narrowed my eyes. "You found my ring."

"It's only natural that we'd go through your belongings," Aeron laughed.

"Why haven't you done anything to me?" I asked darkly.

Maeve turned around to face me. "We have no desire to harm our fellow elves. You merely are a prisoner. A valuable prisoner with a connection to the Nirallean royal family."

I narrowed my eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, please. Don't play dumb." Maeve narrowed her eyes right back at me. "That ring you have is a signet ring with the Taranis family crest. And the Taranis family rules Niralle. They just don't hand those kind of rings out as gifts."

...That was why it was familiar. Because it belonged to the royal family of my kingdom… I didn't understand. Why was it with the photograph of the woman and child that looked so much like my mother and me? All I knew about my mother was that she was killed by bandits… and that was how I became their slave.

None of this was making any sense.

"What are you getting at?" I asked irritably.

"Sister, I don't know why you're so surprised," Aeron said cheekily, crossing his arms over his chest. "King Uther isn't exactly known for being _chaste_. Who knows how many little bastards he has running around?"

"I'm not stupid," she retorted coldly. "The fact is that if our assumptions are correct, the humans' precious king has dallied with an elf. You do realize how scandalous that revelation would be?"

Aeron's red eyes lit up. "Scandalous enough to tear a nation apart."

Maeve smiled darkly. "Exactly, dear little brother."

"Uh… I hate to break it to you," I said, "but everyone hates King Uther already."

Their gazes both darted back to me.

"...She has a point," Aeron noted. "This would just make them hate him more. I'm not sure if that's what we want to accomplish, sister."

Maeve scowled. "Only time will tell. It is still too soon to make the decision." She turned around. "Come, let's discuss in private, away from the prisoner."

"As you wish," he said.

I watched the two of them walk to the tent directly across from where I was tied up. Now that I was alone, I decided to look around to gain my bearings. But then a deafening scream blasted my eardrums. It came from behind a copse of trees several yards to my right, at the far end of the camp. And it sounded like Cassandra…

My stomach twisted into a knot as I heard another tearful scream, bile rising in my throat. I didn't want to think about what was happening over there, but it was hard not to when you could hear it loud and clear. I was going to be sick at this rate.

Cassandra, naive and potentially delusional as she was, did not deserve that. No one deserved that. And I would _gladly_ kill them _all_ to save her, if I could find a way out of these ropes. But they were secured tight enough to dig into my skin. There was no getting out of them.

I looked around the campsite, letting my eyes scan over everything quickly. I spotted my gear all together, propped up against a tree, far out of my reach. If I was able to get free, it'd be no problem to snatch up my bow quickly. I had speed on my side.

Laughter caught my attention and I looked over to see the four remaining Fey dragging Cassandra out from behind the copse of trees. One had her by the hair, another by her arm. And she was stark naked, crimson blood smeared all over her pale body. I couldn't tell if it was just caked on her or if she was bleeding. They threw her onto the ground in front of the tent, laughing some more as she cried out in pain, hunching over as she tried to conceal her nudity. The tent flap flung open and Maeve and Aeron both strode out.

"Milady, we're done amusing ourselves," one of the Fey said. "She's definitely only red on the inside. I checked."

More bile burned my throat, but this time I felt more angry than disgusted. If I could get my hands on those bastards, it would be _their_ blood being spilled. I normally did not enjoy killing anything; it was just a means of survival. But I would _love_ to kill these monsters.

Maeve looked down at Cassandra with distaste. "How disappointing. The maiden with the golden blood continues to evade us."

Aeron grimaced. "Did you have to beat her up _that_ much?"

"No offense milord, but for a Fey man, you're awfully tame. Humans are our playthings, and we play _rough_."

...Hm. So Aeron didn't approve. I took note of that. Nice to know not all of them were complete monsters.

Maeve crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm tired of looking at it. Berach, dispose of this human."

A Fey with particularly wavy, shaggy hair stepped forward. "As you desire, my lady."

"Wait, no—!" I blurted, but it was too late.

Berach unsheathed a dagger, and plunged it right into Cassandra's back. And all you could hear was her bloodcurdling scream of agony.

In that moment… something inside me broke. A tiny shard that felt as delicate as glass, that was somehow still intact after all the years I lived in hell. That part of me shattered into a billion pieces, and I felt a power I had never experienced before erupt around me. And then I realized I was screaming too, as the tree I was bound to came to life.

The ropes tying me down tore to shreds as the tree ripped its roots out of the ground, tearing up soil and sending rocks flying. It crawled over me, blocking my eyesight of the Fey before me and standing over Cassandra's mangled body. Its branches raked into the tent, tearing it to shreds and throwing the pieces everywhere. The Fey were scrambling out of the way, but not all of the were fast enough. The tree was able to pick up two of them and sent them flying through the air until they smashed up against another ancient tree, crumpling to the ground.

My head felt like it was splitting open. All I could do was keel over and clutch the sides of my head as the tree continued to unleash its wrath on the campsite. The agony in my head didn't stop until the tree returned to its resting place and an eerie silence fell.

What… was… _that?_

No! There was no time to think about that!

I scrambled to my feet, rushing over to where Cassandra lay, almost tripping over the rope as I tried to get it off my wrists and ankles. I dropped down onto my knees next to her, and carefully tried to roll her over onto her back. Blood was pooling on the ground, seeping into the dirt beneath her.

"Cassandra, are you-" I cut myself off as she erupt into a coughing fit, spraying blood everywhere, and when she stopped, it began to trickle out of the corner of her mouth.

She was alive. For now.

"Sh-Shevon..." she got out, somehow managing to smile up at me despite how her face twisted in pain. "I… I knew you'd save me."

"I didn't save you—I didn't do anything!"

She laughed softly, only to trigger another coughing fit. I had to wipe her hair away from her eyes so she could see.

"I foresaw my own death… I knew it was coming. But I… I had to meet you."

"Why?" I demanded. "Why the _hell_ would you do that?!"

"Because, after all the visions I had..." She slowly reached up to place her bloody hand on my cheek. "I fell in love with you."

...What?

I stared down at her, my eyes widening. Did she… just say… what I thought she said?

"I love you," she repeated solemnly. "But even before I saw my death... I knew it was not fate for us to be. All I wanted was… to meet you once before I died. Then… Then I could die happy, without any regrets."

"Death is not worth love, Cassandra."

"Oh, but you're wrong..." She shook her head weakly. "But I… I suppose you… still have to… learn that."

Her face twisted, and her hand dropped down from my cheek as she started coughing again. More blood sprayed out of her mouth as her entire body wracked. I ended up carefully moving her so that her head was propped up on my lap, since there was nowhere else to elevate her.

She looked up at me again. "May I ask… one more thing of you?"

"...Yes."

"My one last wish… is to… share a kiss with you."

I wasn't sure why, but the request sent a painful jolt through my heart. This girl… who I had thought was absolutely nuts… who I had just thought of as another client… another means to survival… She loved me. Me, a girl she had only met in her prophetical dreams. She had given up her life just to get the chance to meet me.

I knew life wasn't fair. I had come to understand that at a young age. But this _really_ was not fair.

I didn't even respond. I just leaned down to press my lips to hers. And as feeble as she was, Cassandra still kissed me back, as weakly as she could. But then the pressure stopped, and I felt her head go slack. I pulled back to see that she was gone, the light that lit up her beautiful gray eyes fading away.

And I wept.

After giving Cassandra a proper burial, I gathered my belongings and left the ravaged campsite. I retraced my steps to the spring where she had swam, and ended up stripping off my clothes and dunking myself in the ice cold water to clean the dried blood off of myself. I dug out clean clothes from my pack and changed into that before gathering Cassandra's belongings that she had left behind when we were captured… and adding them to my pack. But by this time, it was dusk, so I built a campfire to settle down for the night.

I had no appetite, so I just sat in front of the fire and perused through Cassandra's things. She didn't have much for a noble. There was a very used map of Aetaren, basic traveling gear, her signet ring with a crest I didn't recognize at all, her cloak, and… an old teddie bear with a red bow tied around its neck.

I set the bear back in my bag and pressed a hand to my face. Ugh! What was wrong with me? Tears were filling my eyes again and I _never_ cried. I couldn't even remember the last time I cried before today! Yet here I was, a total mess…

I decided to go to bed before I could blubber more. I didn't want to think about any of this right now. _I couldn't_.

In the end, I packed up everything I owned and left the village and forest I had called home for six years. I didn't know where to go. I just knew I had to get out of the area. Too many bad memories were haunting me, and the bandits would come after me one of these days. So it was just better to leave.

But my main goal would be this—to find out what family Cassandra's crest belonged to, so I could tell them what befell her.

The end of the world was the farthest thing from my mind.


	2. Runa Fairfax

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2: After a deadly attack during a royal celebration, Runa pledges that she will find out just what the murderers are after... and if they are truly Fey.

It would be an understatement to say that I wasn't a typical noble girl.

While growing up, most girls my age would be indoors, learning how to run a household and how to be a proper lady. Depending on their family's rank, their parents would be seeking out husbands for when they came of age. Instead, I was out learning how to run a castle in a more practical way, and how to fight, from none other than my mother.

I still can remember the day she gave me my first bow.

I had only been six years old at the time, and had recently become enraptured with my older brother's combat lessons. Larkin, who's six years older than me, making him twelve around this time, is the heir, so he had to undergo all sorts of training, and that included mastering every weapon he could. Much to Mother's disappointment, he sucked at archery, so most of his training was in melee weapons. Father had hired a fencing instructor to teach him, due to his position as duke making him too busy to teach Larkin himself.

Every time Larkin had his lessons, I would climb up on the fence to watch. Fencing reminded me of the dance lessons I had to take, but it was a lot cooler. It was also amusing to watch my brother fumble from trying too hard, or showing off to the servant girls around his age, only for them to roll their eyes and ignore him.

It was one of those days when my mother came up in the middle of the lesson to watch with me. I always was confused by this, but happy that I could spend more time with her.

"Runa," she had said, "how would you like to learn to fight like your brother?"

I had looked up at her in shock, my eyes widening with excitement. "Can I, Mama? Can I really?!"

She laughed gently, letting a smile grace her features. "I've discussed it with your father, and we both agree it's time we introduce you to a weapon of your choice. The Fairfaxes aren't known for being warriors for nothing."

"I wanna learn how to shoot bad guys with a bow like you, Mama!" I had declared adamantly.

That made her laugh again. "Then it's settled. After this, we'll go to the armory and see if we can find a suitable practice bow for you."

My first bow was just for training, but I was only six, so it was expected. And when I got old enough, I started fencing lessons as well. As a little girl, I was more interested in weapons and horseback riding than dresses and reading. Like my mother said… our family was known for its warriors.

My family, the Fairfaxes, was once part of the royalty of Niralle. We were still technically kin of the Taranises, albeit distantly. The family split centuries ago due to our ancestor, the great hero Titania Taranis, falling in love with a dragon named Razeth. Her father, the king, took her title of crown princess from her, lowering her to duchess and giving her the territory we now call home—Stormreach. The dragons are extinct due to a mass genocide following Razeth's descent into madness when Titania and two of their children, Nerissa and Oliver, were murdered by assassins, but their blood still runs through our veins. Our connection to the throne and our powerful bloodline makes us a huge threat to King Uther, who nobody likes. But none of us have any interest in leaving Stormreach for the capital.

Our family has always been small, whether from assassins slaughtering us or difficulty having children. There's my father, Jackin Fairfax, known more commonly as Duke Jackin Daemonslayer due to his role in dispatching a dangerous band of Daemoni bandits that had been terrorizing the region. My mother is not his first wife—that would be Brighid, a former Sky Cavalier and retainer of my father. They fell in love, so Brighid left the Sky Cavaliers, having not taken her vow of chastity yet, and married my father. They had one child together, my older sister Titania, who is named in honor of our ancestor. Brighid passed away a year or so after her birth. Titania had since joined the Sky Cavaliers, leaving the position of heir to our brother, and is now known as Titania Skydancer, due to her rise to fame. A few years after Brighid's death, Father met my mother, Winona, who was an outsider. She was the daughter of the chieftain of a tribe that lived on the outskirts of the kingdom, near the border with Osova. My mother helped him, and my grandfather, Wilkin Fairfax, defeat that band of Daemoni. For it, she's known as Winona Arrowfire. They fell in love after sharing a few life or death experiences together—or at least that's how Father likes to tell it—and married. My brother, Larkin, was born not long after their marriage. Grandfather is a strict traditionalist, and didn't approve of the marriage, or the liberal changes Mother brought to Stormreach. He still makes his disapproval clear, but more so towards their raising of me.

But despite being nobles, we have had our fair share of hardship, just like our ancestors. Nine years ago, the Daemoni sought revenge against my father and attacked the castle. I nearly died in the conflict, and had a hideous scar to show for it. At that time, it was also discovered that I… had blood colored gold, like dragons, instead of red, like humans. Because of that, my parents decided it would be safer to send me to live in the secret castle in the northern end of Stormreach, just in case the rumor spread. I live there with my nanny, my guardian, Sir Alan Chevalier, and a troop of knights. It wasn't common knowledge that I didn't live in the same castle as my family. My parents visited weekly, unless something serious came up, so it wasn't like I was locked away in the castle like in all of those fairytales. I was allowed to leave and explore the nearby forest as well. And whenever a noble event came up, I would join my family.

Today was one of such days. In fact, it was none other than Prince Lucius's birthday. How old was he now? Twenty-something? I never really paid attention.

"Runa, hold still," Mother chided me. "I'm almost done, but I need you to stop squirming."

I sighed, but complied. "Sorry..."

Mother was doing my hair for the party, in a style I hadn't worn for a while—down, but with elaborate braids woven into the sides, and around the back of my head. When I was little, we would weave flowers into the braids. Too bad this party was too _formal_ for something like that.

"There!" Mother exclaimed triumphantly before pushing me towards the mirror. "You're even lovelier than usual, love."

Her work was usually flawless, but I still found myself checking for any needed adjustments. I might have not cared about appearances as a child, but now, as an adult, I liked to look my best. My normally wildly curly golden blonde hair had been smoothed out into elegant curls as it cascaded down to the small of my back, the front strands woven into the sides of my head, with my bangs sweeping across my forehead and curling at the ends. The luxurious pale blue dress I had been given to wear brought out the blue in my eyes. I approved of this look. My mother might prefer the battlefield, but she knew fashion well.

I turned back around to face her. "Thank you, Mother."

My mother looked young for her age, unlike many other noblewomen who were scrambling to find ways to slow down the aging process. She had done her long, curly dark brown hair in the usual braided bun, her light brown skin was left natural without any makeup, and her brown eyes still twinkled with a perpetual mischievousness. She was feeling bold today, wearing that royal purple gown. I truly wished I took more after Mother appearance wise. Men never took a blonde seriously.

"Runa, are you feeling well?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's so rare for you to express gratitude."

...Have I mentioned that Mother tends to be a _little shit_ as Larkin puts it?

"Very funny, Mother," I muttered. "Larkin thanks you all the time!"

"That's because he knows what's good for him." She smiled brightly. "Come now, love. We shouldn't keep the men waiting. You know how impatient your grandfather can be."

I nodded, and the two of us started heading for the door. We were already at the castle in Fairmount, the capital, for the celebration. Eliana, my brother's fiancee, had accompanied us on the journey here and would be attending as our guest. It was only natural, seeing as she would be joining the family soon enough.

"Mother," I began as another thought dawned on me. "Do you think Uther is going to try to push marriage between Lucius and me again?"

Due to the relations between our families growing distant enough that we shared little to no blood, the king had gotten into his head that reuniting us through marriage was the best thing since sliced bread. He had been pressuring my parents to arrange a marriage between Lucius and me, but since neither of my parents agreed with arranged marriages, they always refused. I had nothing against Lucius. He was a good man, and would make a much better king than his father. But that didn't mean I wanted to _marry_ him. Becoming queen was not on my top ten dreams list.

Not to mention… other reasons.

"I wouldn't put it past him," she answered. "That man can't take no for an answer."

Everyone in the kingdom was well aware of Uther's… tendencies. Titania once told me that there was a period of time in the royal castle when a lot of fatherless babies were being born to the servants, back when I was very young. There was even a half elf girl, apparently. And there were plenty of rumors about bastard children fathered by Uther. That was part of the reason why the people either hated his guts or adored him. There was no in between.

"Don't worry, I doubt he would openly ruin his son's party," Mother said, chuckling a little at that as we stepped outside of the room. "You know how keeping appearances is so important to our _beloved_ king."

She had a point, of course. Social events were a huge deal to him. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that. But Mother led the way down the hall, to where we were supposed to meet the rest of the family. Titania was the only one not here, since as a Sky Cavalier, she wasn't supposed to be involved with the affairs of nobility. But we came to the end of the hallway, and there the rest of the family was, waiting for us.

First, there was my father, Jackin Fairfax. He was about average height, and while he had once been a strong warrior, he didn't really have time for training anymore, and it was apparent. He kept his golden blond hair short, and it was starting to gray a little. His eyes were brown, his skin lightly tanned from being outside a lot. He was dressed in the usual ruffled tunic, vest, and breeches.

Standing next to him was my grandfather, Wilkin Fairfax, who had a perpetual expression of irritation. There was a reason Larkin and I called him _Grumps_ behind his back. He was in his early seventies, and had seen better days. After Grandmother passed away, he had aged considerably. What little hair he had left was nearly white, and his brown eyes had this stern, hard look to them. I loved my grandfather, but his stringency got old very, very. He was dressed in a similar way to his son.

Then there was my brother, Larkin, who was twenty-three years old. He was shorter than Father, much to his chagrin, even if it was only an inch or so. His dark blond hair was just as wildly curly as mine, falling down towards his eyes in a mess that can never be tamed, his skin was tanned, and his eyes were brown. Many girls say he's quite handsome, but I can't see it. He was wearing a simpler tunic with a vest over it, and trousers.

And Eliana was looking as beautiful as ever. She was around my brother's age, younger by a year or so. She had long, straight red hair that she kept down today, without any braiding or anything, fair skin many were jealous of, and light green eyes that twinkled in a similar fashion to my mother's. She was wearing a fashionable emerald green gown that bared her shoulders.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," Mother said. "We aren't late to the party, are we?"

"Uther would never dare to start without us," Father snorted. "We're always 'honored guests'."

"Honored my-" Larkin started to say, only to cut himself off when both Mother and Eliana gave him looks. "Uh, never mind."

I fought the urge to laugh. My brother wasn't known for having the cleanest mouth, something that both women got on his case for. I always found it amusing. Though a lot of things my brother did were funny. He'd probably get angry if he knew I thought this.

"Forget talking about that old goat," Eliana said, a sour look on her face. "Party or no party, I don't really want to think about him."

"I have to agree," I said.

Father let out an exasperated sigh. "Runa, Eliana, please mind your tongues. We _are_ at the royal castle, after all. Such statements could be considered as treason."

Ugh, he didn't have to remind me. If anyone said anything that the king didn't like, he could declare them a traitor and have them hanged in a humiliating public display at the gallows. He made an example of anyone who dared to question his rule, whether it was right or wrong. And most of the time, it was right.

"Let's just get it over with," I sighed.

The Fairmount Castle was ancient and intricately designed. Some say that even dragons helped built it. It was just as impressive on the inside as it was outside. Built with perfectly cut gray stone, the walls and floors consisted of these stones in various shapes and sizes. Polished suits of armor lined the torchlit walls, between the elaborate tapestries that hung from them. Red carpet lined with gold fringed over the bumpy floor.

Seeing the tapestries here always made me uneasy. They told the history of Niralle, both good and bad. Whenever we passed the tapestry depicting the dragon genocide, a sickening knot formed in my stomach. It always showed the same thing—a huge black dragon breathing fire upon the entire nation on the top half, the huge black dragon in chains in the middle, and knights slaying dragons on the bottom. It was a blatant reminder of what had happened to my family and the dragons that tried to avenge us.

Uther did seem to enjoy making us uncomfortable.

I fought the urge to scowl at that thought, because we entered the main hall where the party was to be held. I saw that it was already bustling with activity as we stepped inside. There were tables loaded with all sorts of food, complimented by various expensive decorations. A small orchestra was set up far, far towards the back, playing music softly, and couples were already dancing to it.

" _Please welcome the Fairfax family,"_ the announcer declared, his voice amplified by magic, _"and guest."_

Eliana rolled her eyes at that. I didn't blame her. The formalities were obnoxious at times.

But barely had we stepped into the hall when the king himself approached us, and the prince was with him, naturally. I fought the urge to groan out loud just from seeing them. We couldn't go to any royal event without the Taranis family pouncing on us.

"Jackin, Winona, welcome!" Uther greeted with odd cheer. "Same goes to Larkin and Runa! And this must be Lady Eliana. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

"The pleasure is mine, Your Majesty," Eliana replied, but I knew better than to believe she actually meant that.

King Uther was a middle aged man, and even though he was only older than my father by a few years, he appeared much older. Not only was his dull brown hair graying, but he was balding as well. Even his graying beard seemed thinner than it was the last time I saw him. His eyes were the same boring shade of brown, but they always had this… hard coldness to them. I had heard it once be described as if he had no soul. I doubted that was true, though. Uther might be an unsavory man, but that didn't mean he was soulless. He was dressed in his usual fancy royal attire, with his thick, white fur cape.

Prince Lucius, unlike his father, was the embodiment of what the people wanted for the country. He was intelligent, wise for his age, and to top it off, incredibly handsome. He wore his straight dark blond hair in a low ponytail, and he chose to stay clean shaven, unlike many men his age. His eyes were brown, but unlike his father's, they had a warm, friendly light to them. He was dressed in clothing similar to the king's, minus the cape.

"You look well, Your Majesty," Father said, being civil as always. "As do you, Prince Lucius. Congratulations on your twenty-four years."

"Thank you, Lord Jackin," Lucius replied with a nod. "It's always a pleasure to see all of you, and to properly meet you, Lady Eliana."

Hmph. I fought the urge to snort out loud. I think we were all well aware he was most pleased to see me. Out of all the young nobles that continuously attempted to court me, he was the one who did so with the most extravagance. It was to the point that I felt bad that it was impossible for me to return his feelings, ignoring the whole _I don't want to be queen_ thing. Everything would be so much more simple if I…

No, thinking like that isn't healthy.

Out of the corner of my eye, something moved, so I glanced over to see my best friend, Clara Adema, waving to me. Looking over at my father as the conversation continued, he appeared to have noticed and gave me a nod. So I politely excused myself, and headed over to where Clara was waiting for me. I was relieved to get away.

"There you are!" Clara exclaimed with a smile. "I was wondering where you were, Runa."

"Just the usual," I said with a shrug, "being held up by His Majesty."

She grimaced. "Sounds fun."

Clara was the same age as me, and her family, the Ademas, were once the rulers of a march. Her parents, Marquess Edwin and Marchioness Emma Adema, fell on hard times, and my father took them in when their march dissolved into the grand duchy of Bellwind. Since then, they have been steadfast allies of Stormreach, and we've grown up together. She has an older brother, Jerome, who is two years older. And despite being in Sky Cavalier training, she had joined her family for the party.

Clara never gave herself credit for how beautiful she is. She has long, pin straight chocolate brown hair, which today she had pulled back into an elaborate bun, and hazel eyes that always changed colors according to what she wore. Today, since she was wearing a gown as blue as the sky, her eyes appeared more blue.

"But anyways—have you heard?" she asked. "Cassandra is missing! My parents spoke with the Sauveterres earlier, and apparently she ran away from home two months ago, and they haven't seen her since."

My eyes widened. "She really ran away?!"

The Sauveterre family were the rulers of a small kingdom north of Thanor called Le Rêve. It was founded during the Daemonium Empire, when a group of Niralleans escaped the empire in hopes of building new lives, humans and elves alike. Since the fall of the Daemoni, Le Rêve had formed an alliance with Niralle. I didn't know them well, but Cassandra had been one of the nicer noble girls. But she was also a mage—a seer, more specifically. And the last time I saw her, she had mentioned that she was considering seeking out of the subjects of her visions.

Clara nodded. "She did! But apparently she also made a huge scene when she left… Lord Sauveterre said she has disgraced their family by… by declaring she was in love with a woman and that nothing would stop them from being together."

My eyes widened. "She actually said that to their faces? I have a hard time picturing her doing something so… courageous."

Like I said earlier, Clara and I didn't know Cassandra too well. She and her family were of higher status than ours, she was older, and not to mention she had always seemed so shy. When we did try to converse with her, it was like pulling teeth to get more than a few words out of her. Though I always got the feeling that she was hiding something. It could have been this whole thing, but…

"I know!" Clara exclaimed, before making a worried frown. "And it's been so dangerous lately, with all of the Fey sightings… What if something's happened to her?"

I frowned, too. "Like what? I haven't heard anything about any Fey sightings."

She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by an earsplitting scream. We both looked over at the source to see a bunch of nobles scattering like pigeons. And left behind in their wake… was one of the noble girls whose name escaped my mind, who I only remembered as the only other blonde other than Princess Helena… and she was being held at knifepoint… by an… elf?

I wasn't sure if I could even call the man an elf. Everything about him resembled an elf. He had the sharply pointed ears, the lithe build, and so on. But what set him apart from all the elves I had ever known was his ebony skin and wavy snow white hair. Even his eyes, which were a frosty shade of blue, struck me as unusual.

Guards were rushing forward, but it was too late. The strange elf grabbed the girl's hand, and raked his dagger across her palm. She screeched in pain as red splattered on the marble tiled floor. The elf frowned, like he was disappointed. But then, right before the guards reached him, he took the dagger and slit her throat, before letting her drop to the floor and disappearing in a cloud of smoke. And then all I could hear was the nobles' screaming and the guards' shouting.

I wasn't new to death. When our castle was attacked by the Daemoni bandits all those years ago, I saw many of our soldiers cut down. After all, the bandits had to get through the guards to get to me. Still, seeing a mother weep over her daughter's corpse while her blood pooled on the floor was not what I was prepared for.

"Oh my gods," Clara was saying, her voice cracking, thick with emotion, "oh my _gods!_ "

"Milady!"

A familiar voice snapped me out of my daze, and I looked up to see none other than my bodyguard and retainer, Sir Alan Chevalier. Being a decade older than me, Alan has been around for as long as I can remember. One of our best knights, he had been appointed my personal guard after the Daemoni attack on the castle. He kept his brown hair average length, but always neat, he had a light tan from being outside so often, and his stern gaze matched his hair. He was wearing his formal armor, as every knight accompanying their lord was required to do. Alan was not just a regular knight, either—he was a Paladin.

Like the Sky Cavaliers, Paladins were holy knights that swore themselves to Lavinia for a life of serving our goddess as a warrior. Both factions could not marry or have children, as part of the vows. Paladins were strictly a male only order, with the Sky Cavaliers as the female counterpart. The main differences between them, other than gender, are that Paladins can use basic holy magic, while Sky Cavaliers bond with and ride pegasi.

"We must leave immediately," he said. "You are in danger. Lord Adema also requested that you come with us, Lady Clara."

"Alan," I said, "where are my weapons?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Packed amongst your other belongings in your saddle bags. Milady, you're not considering-"

"Yes," I interrupted. "Come on, Clara."

"Wh-What?!" Her eyes widened. "You can't be seriously considering going after that… that..."

"Someone was just murdered in front of us for no apparent reason, and you just want to leave it to the incompetent royal guard to apprehend?" I demanded. "You're almost a full fledged _Sky Cavalier_ , Clara!"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean _let's go charging after a violent murderer!_ " she retorted. "Think this through, Runa!"

...Okay, maybe she had a point. My parents often told me I could be more reckless than my brother, that I needed to be more careful. There was a reason they sent me to live in the northern castle. If anyone found I had blood like a dragon's, it could be used against us. And Uther would do anything to lessen our power and influence.

"Milady, if I may be blunt—rushing into danger will not solve anything," Alan said.

"...Fine," I sighed. "But that elf… he was checking her _blood_."

It was true. He had sliced her palm before killing her. The only explanation for that was he was looking for something in particular. And I was the one with the unusual blood color, and she was blonde as well… which could only mean, somehow, someone found out a blonde noble girl had golden blood. They were looking for _me_.

"It's my fault she's dead," I muttered.

Alan's eyes widened. "Milady, you cannot possibly blame yourself-"

"They _had_ to be looking for me," I snapped. "You can't deny that, Alan."

Clara bit her bottom lip. "Runa has a point..."

Alan sighed heavily. "Then taking matters into your own hands is most definitely not the answer, milady."

"I am well aware. But I will get to the bottom of this, I swear to Lavinia."

* * *

A week had passed since the party and the murder, and I was safely back in the northern castle with Nana, Alan, and all of the knights. I had sent a letter to my sister, asking her to look into the mysterious dark elf who had killed the noble girl. But other than heightened security, things had returned to normal here.

Currently, I was on the archery range, practicing. Having just made another perfect shot, I was aiming my next arrow to pierce right through the previous one. Pursing my lips, I narrowed my eyes, scrutinizing the target.

"Lady Runa-"

I let the arrow fly, and pierced the other one, splitting the shaft into two before impaling the target. "Zander." I lowered my bow, and turned around to face him. "What is it?"

Zander wasn't a proper knight yet; he was still a squire, but only a year away from knighthood, making him twenty. He was supposedly from Bellwind, but Father took him in when he was just a baby. He was raised by the servants until he was old enough to be a page and go under the wing of our knights. There were many rumors about why my father took him, such as him being Father's bastard. There was never any founding in that, however, as my parents were one of the few noble couples who actually ever loved each other and still do. Still, the mere notion was unsettling and I would be lying if I said he wasn't my least favorite squire. I had been terrible to him as a child.

The worst part? He knew it. And it was obvious, with how nervous he always seemed around me. At least he didn't really look like Father, with his short brown hair and blue eyes. Honestly, he looked more like Uther and Grand Duchess Morgana. Talk about a _scandal_ if that was true.

Zander gulped nervously. "A letter from Lady Titania just arrived. Alan said to give it to you right away."

Oh! Her response! My face lit right up as I accepted it from him. "Thank you! I've been waiting for this."

He bowed politely. "Of course, milady. I'll take my leave."

"Wait," I said. "I may require your assistance, Zander."

His eyes widened ever so slightly. "How may I be of service?"

"Just let me read this first," I answered. "I asked my sister to use her Sky Cavalier connections to look into the murder at Lucius's party."

"As… As you wish, milady."

I pulled out my pocket knife to cut open the envelope, and then carefully took out a perfectly folded piece of stationary. Titania was always such a perfectionist, but that was what made her so skilled. I opened up the letter and began to read it. My sister's flowing, elegant cursive was a reassuring sight.

_Dearest Sister,_

_I wish I had been at the celebration. Perhaps the culprit would have been caught if there were Sky Cavaliers present. Alas, we cannot change the past. We can only change the future—which you seem adamant on doing. I doubt Father would be pleased if he knew I was doing this for you. It is good, then, that he will never find out. Just heed my word of caution, Runa—these are deep waters you are treading. If I wasn't such a legend, I most likely would not have been able to obtain the information you seek._

_The "dark elf" you encountered was one of the Fey. Yes, the Fey, as in the subjects of the fairy stories we all thought were just a way to get unruly children to behave. They are very much real. More specifically, his name is Berach. He is a Fey assassin working directly for Princess Maeve of the Fey. The Fey are responsible for the mass murdering of blonde women over the past five years. It was apparently not considered mass murder until recently due to the small numbers of those with blonde hair. But I do not know how they know this much about the Fey when they are supposed to be so secretive and elusive._

_It is currently unknown what the Fey are after exactly. Every victim has a slash on their palm, like they are checking their blood. So your hypothesis that they are searching for a specific blood color may not be that far off. I truly hope we are wrong about this. I don't want my baby sister in danger. Until we can confirm this, please don't do anything stupid and/or reckless. Father and Winona would be devastated if anything happened to you. Just stay low until we figure out what is going on, all right?_

_I will try to arrange some days off so I can come up for a visit. It's been a while since we've been able to spend time together. What has it been this time? Four, five months? Regardless, it has been far too long. Hopefully I shall see you soon._

_Your Loving Sister,_

_Titania_

I frowned, processing the information I had gotten. I could barely believe what I just read. I knew that commoners believed the Fey were real, but I always considered that it was just superstitions and all that. But to find out that it was real… that the Fey were these ebony skinned elves… and that they were checking their victims' blood… It couldn't just be a coincidence.

I realized I was frowning and chewing on my bottom lip as I pondered over this. That probably wasn't making Zander feel at ease. Looking up from the letter, I caught him watching me, and he hastily looked away. I fought the urge to sigh. Maybe I should have just let him go. Finally, I _did_ sigh, and started to put the letter back into the envelope. That's when I noticed a smaller piece of paper fall out. I reached down to pick it up and see if it had anything written on it.

_There are Fey in your forest._

_-Carys_

My eyes widened in surprise. I… hadn't expected that at _all_. It must be serious if Commander Carys slipped a note into Titania's letter. The warning sent chills down my spine. There was a large wood on the outskirts of the castle grounds that separated us from the rest of the world and made the castle a secret to outsiders. The Fey were much too close for comfort if this was true, and there was no way it _couldn't_ be true. If there was a shadow of a doubt, Carys wouldn't have told me.

Commander Carys Shadowflier was the leader of Stormreach's Sky Cavaliers. She was the first elf ever to become a Sky Cavalier, going against all odds to follow her dream, ignoring all the bigoted ridicule thrown at her. She surpassed everyone to rise to the rank of _Commander of the Sky_ , as the official title was. She was our best Sky Cavalier, the only one who could beat my sister in a duel. She was one of the few Magi Cavaliers that specialize in magic, which lead to her receiving the honorary surname _Shadowflier_. She was also a personal friend of the family, as she had been close friends with Brighid, Titania's mother. They met when they first started training and were friends ever since.

I knew what I had to do now.

Slipping the note into the envelope with the letter, I returned my attention to Zander. "I need you to accompany me into the forest."

His eyes widened slightly. "Milady, don't you usually go in there by yourself?"

"Yes, but… there may be Fey in there and I want to investigate."

Now he looked completely shocked. "F-Fey? Milady, shouldn't you send knights to look into it instead?"

Knowing Alan, nothing would probably get done. He was always concerned about my safety. I knew it was his job to protect me, but he could be overzealous. No, I had to do this myself. Especially since this was veering towards being very personal. So I shook my head and slipped the envelope away into the back pocket of my pants.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Alan would probably try to move me somewhere else before doing anything."

Zander grimaced, but nodded, giving a short bow. "I will… accompany you s you wish, milady."

"Good," I said. "Let me change into fresh clothes and I'll meet you at the stables."

* * *

I hurried back to the castle and to my bedroom, setting my bow on my bed and stowing the envelope in one of my vanity's drawers before quickly splashing some water onto my face to get rid of sweat from my daily training. Then I went to dig around in my dresser to find something clean to wear. Most of the clothes I had for exploring and the like were hand-me-downs from my brother. Mother just took whatever tunics he outgrew as a youth and gave them to me, seeing no point in buying me something new, unlike other noblewomen. But they were still a bit large on me, so I usually wore a vest over them. My trousers were fine, so I just had to switch out my current pair of boots for my hiking boots. After that, I grabbed my rapier, attached its sheath to my belt, snatched up my bow and quiver, and then headed out to meet with Zander.

The stables were one of my favorite places to be on the entire castle grounds. They were to the right of the castle, near the stone wall that lined the borders of the land. I liked to visit to see the horses, and that, of course, included taking care of my own steed. His name was Séamus, and he was a Nirallean Charger—a draft horse bred for war. They were some of the finest horses in all of Aetaren, built to carry heavy armor. He was orphaned at birth, and with Carys's help, I was able to raise him from infancy, saving him from an inevitable death. That was why he had an elvish name. I thought it would be fitting, with how Carys helped both of us so much.

Séamus was, however, a handful… He was a stallion, after all, but there was more to it than that. He only ever listens to me, and honest to goddess, he won't let anyone else touch him. I always have to get up and make sure he's fed, watered, groomed, and that his stall was clean, because the stable boys can't get close enough to him without him trying to bite their hands off. He's also very… _protective_ of me. He's driven off many a suitor when we visit the main castle for the annual party my parents throw, as it is customary for nobles to have at least one yearly celebration at their home. He tolerates Alan, mainly because Alan's been around for almost as long as he's been alive, and well… Alan's steed is a _mare_. I'm pretty sure he would have been put down a long time ago if I didn't have such a strong bond with him… and if he wasn't a future stud prospect, bad attitude or not.

Regardless of my horse's lack of redeeming qualities, I loved him and couldn't think of life without him at this point. I've had him for about ten years now. He was my best friend as much as Clara was. I always looked forward to seeing him each morning, and going out for our daily ride. Sometimes, we even go bareback—which makes Alan nearly blow a gasket every time.

When I got there, Zander was already outside, checking to make sure the tack on his horse was secure. His Charger was a magnificent chestnut gelding named Rex. He was fairly young, probably a year or two younger than Séamus. He was tall, standing at about seventeen hands or so, but he wasn't the most robust Charger I had seen. He still was a very handsome horse, with a wide blaze on his head and white stockings on all four of his feathered legs. His head turned slightly as he noticed my approach, ears flicking forward curiously.

Zander noticed me then, quickly turning around to face me. "Milady, do you require any assistance with anything?"

I shook my head. "No, I've got this. Besides, Séamus would probably try to bite your hand off."

He winced. "I don't doubt that at all."

I couldn't help but laugh a little. "But thank you for offering. We'll be out in a moment."

I headed inside then. The stable hands greeted me respectfully as I entered the stables, and I politely greeted them in return. I walked to the back of the stables, where Séamus's stall was. Somehow he knew I was coming, like always, because he stuck his head out and nickered to me. I smiled and reached up to scratch his muzzle. Intelligent dark eyes looked down at me eagerly, like he was expecting a treat.

"Sorry boy, not today," I said. "We're going out for another ride."

I attached the rope I had gotten from the tack room to his halter and opened the stall to lead him out. I took him outside, and tied him across from where Zander was with Rex. I decided to quickly inspect him before going back to get his tack, making sure he was the same as he was when I put him back after his first ride.

Séamus was massive even for his breed, the largest Charger I had ever seen before in my life. He towered above every other horse we encountered, at over twenty hands high. He was muscular, but his huge body slimmed him out and he didn't appear as beefy as other stallions. Maybe I'm a little biased, but he was by far the best looking horse here. He was such a light shade of gray, he appeared white. It was apparent due to the sides of his muzzle being gray, but a wide blaze that was barely visible made the rest of his muzzle a soft pink. He had a thick, luxurious mane and tail that were a very pale shade of flaxen. His feathering was a bit thicker than Rex's, but still easily manageable.

But as you can probably imagine, I couldn't reach his back without a stool. I had to drag one over to slip on his blue saddle blanket, and then heave on his huge black leather saddle. Once I was sure that was secure, I stepped down and moved the stool over so I could reach his head and put on his bridle. Being an archer really paid off; you have to be strong to use a bow, and that meant I'd be strong enough to lift my horse's insanely heavy tack.

After double checking everything, making sure I had my weapons, and snapping at Séamus for glowering at Zander and Rex, I used the stood to climb up into the saddle. Zander followed suit, and I began to lead the way towards the forest, easing Séamus into a trot. We were both armed, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about possibly discovering Fey in the forest I spent so much time in.

* * *

So far, everything seemed fine.

Birds were chirping, and wild animals were out and about. Nothing seemed unusual or out of the ordinary. It was just as I had left it this morning, after mounted target practice. I wanted to believe that everything was okay, but Titania's letter and Carys's warning told me otherwise.

We slowly and carefully picked our way through the trees. Thankfully, there was a natural pathway that allowed us to avoid going under tree branches. As tall as our horses were, it'd be impossible for us to duck. I was looking around so intently, I didn't realize that neither of us were talking.

"Uh, milady?" Zander's voice broke the silence, pulling me out of my focus. "What exactly are we looking for, if I may ask?"

"Anything out of place," I answered after briefly glancing back at him. "Anything that shouldn't belong in a forest."

"That… doesn't give me much to go on."

I let out a frustrated sigh. He was right, of course. But I really did not know what to look for either! What was I supposed to tell him? Maybe this was just hopeless, and I was wasting our time.

"I don't know either," I sighed. "Just—I don't know, look for signs of travelers?"

"You mean like this?"

I pulled Séamus to a halt, and looked down at where Zander was pointing. It was a campfire—well, the remains of one. Gray ashes surrounded what was left of some wood. The ground around the dead fire was cleared off as well, like someone had slept there. According to the amount of space, I guessed two or three people.

Okay… so maybe this _wasn't_ hopeless.

"Yes… yes, exactly like that!" I exclaimed as a wave of relief rushed through me. "Good eye, Zander! I would've completely missed that!"

He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm, um, glad to be of assistance."

I hesitated for a moment, thinking back on my past behavior towards him. Here he was, helping me, and… Okay, yes, it was his job to serve my family, but still. Knights were always so respectful to their lords and ladies, no matter how they were treated. I never thought of how hard that could be.

Sometimes, I wished I… Sometimes I wished my… preference was different. That I could be attracted to, and have feelings for men. There were honorable men out there, like Zander here, and Lucius, that would make great husbands and fathers. Being surrounded by petty nobles, and having to leave the freedoms of our duchy to go out into a world where a woman needed a man to survive, despite the fact that our religion worships a goddess… All of that made it difficult to remind myself that not all men only cared about continuing their family name.

Clara was the only one who knew the truth. We had only been little girls, and I had gotten a crush on one of the servant girls. I hadn't thought it anything unusual and just told her. My parents believed I simply lacked an interest in falling in love and getting married. My sister was gone so often, I had no idea if she had figured it out. And my brother had been too busy chasing skirts for the past few years to take notice. It was better this way, but… I felt so lonely.

"Milady, are you all right?" Zander asked worriedly. "You look sad all of a sudden."

I sighed softly. "It's nothing. Let's keep moving."

I urged Séamus forward again, this time paying more attention to whatever was on the ground. I needed to stay focused and not think about things out of my control. I didn't need to be with someone to be happy! I had my family, Séamus, Clara, Alan, and all the other knights… Never mind the pressure to marry would worsen every year as I get older…

Biting my bottom lip, I stared at the ground as Séamus picked his way over branches and rocks underneath the dead leaves that covered the forest floor. I really wanted to stop thinking about this, but once the thoughts entered my mind, it was really hard to get rid of them.

I remembered when Clara first decided she wanted to become a Sky Cavalier, she asked me to join with her. That way, even as we got older and moved on with our lives, we'd still be together. I had considered it, but in the end, I couldn't. I was too much of a romantic. And joining a women only order was probably not the _best_ course of action…

Ugh… what was I ruminating over all of this for? A girl had been murdered! This was no time to be wallowing in self pity. I was here to do a job, to find evidence that the Fey were here. I needed to focus. The last thing I needed was to lose my cool in front of a _squire_.

Reaching up to subtly wipe any tears that had dared to gather in my eyes, I took a deep breath to calm myself.

...Though, it was a pity that Clara wouldn't be able to marry as a Sky Cavalier. Zander would probably make a good match for her.

* * *

It wasn't long before we found another old campfire. Whoever these travelers were, they were following the natural path. They had to have noticed the targets I had hanging from trees for my mounted archery practice. And that first campfire had been somewhat close to the edge of the forest… This truly was worrisome.

We decided to take a break to water the horses and get a drink ourselves at the stream that flowed through the forest. When I was little, I would go to the spring that fed the stream to swim and play in the water. Sometimes I missed being a child, when life was so much simpler.

Thankful I always brought my saddlebags with me when I rode, I took out my canteen and filled it up with the fresh, cool water. Once it was full, I immediately took a drink. It _was_ the middle of summer, and that meant heat, even if you were in the shade of a forest. I splashed some water on the back of my neck, under my ponytail.

Satisfied, I walked back over to stand next to Séamus and gave him a scratch on the shoulder. I hadn't always come here with him. When I was young, I was way too small to ride him. I used to come here by myself, but I never was alone. I… used to have a friend that lived in the forest.

About three years after I had moved to the castle, when I was eleven, I met a girl in the forest. She was older than me, but not by much—maybe one, two years. I found her under attack by a bear… and I killed it with an arrow right through the eye. She was a mess, her clothes resembling rags, her hair a rat's nest, covered in cuts and bruises. When I tried talking to her, she was in such shock she didn't respond right away… so I just offered to help her.

I took her to the spring I mentioned earlier, and cleaned her up. It was hard to untangle her mess of hair without a brush or a comb, and it was even curlier than _mine_. But I managed, and braided it back. I tried to get her to come home with me, but she spooked and ran away… leaving me to return alone. I told Alan I killed a bear in the forest, and he didn't believe me until I made him and some of the knights go out to retrieve it. There was no sign of the girl after.

But the next day, I went back, sneaking out some clothes, an old hairbrush of mine, and some food. I went looking for the mysterious girl, and when she finally came out of hiding I got so excited. All the other girls at the castle were servants and much older than me, so meeting someone closer to my age made me really happy. By the end of that second day, I knew we'd be friends.

The girl let me help her. Every day, I would visit her, bringing old clothes I didn't want anymore, and food. I taught her how to survive in the forest, since she refused to go back to the castle with me. Mother's survival lessons truly came in handy. Eventually, when she asked me, I taught her how to use a bow. We ended up making one together. And once she was able to hunt and forage for herself, I didn't have to bring food for her anymore.

One day, she asked me to teach her how to read and write. I was surprised she didn't know how, but agreed. I will never forget the look of joy on her face when she was finally able to write her own name. I had been so proud of her, too.

But if I said our relationship was strictly friendship, I would be lying… I'll admit I got a crush on her. I mean, how could I not? I spent so many hours every day with her, to the point of Alan, Nana, and all of my tutors were getting angry at me for wasting time playing. I remember one day clearly… the last time I ever saw her, actually…

It was three years after our first meeting. I was fourteen. It was late fall, and I had sneaked some freshly baked sugar cookies out of the kitchen to share with her. We were sitting on a fallen log, enjoying them together, when all of a sudden, out of the blue, she asked me if she was likeable. Confused, I asked her what she meant. She clarified, asking me if I thought someone would ever be interested in someone like her. I was a bit startled by the sudden topic, but despite my nervousness, I told her yes, because I liked her. I think it surprised her, but… she ended up kissing me.

All it was a kiss, but nothing came of it. The following days, something came up in the family. Assassins had been sent after my brother. Because of that, I was forbidden to leave the castle… I had no way of telling her that I couldn't visit for a while. And when it was resolved months later and I was able to go back into the forest… she was gone. I searched all over, but it was like she had vanished.

No one ever believed me about the girl of the forest. And now I couldn't even remember her name.

Here I was, dwelling on the past again… Today was just one of those days, I guess.

"Are you ready to start moving again, milady?" Zander asked.

I nodded. "Yes, let's go."

* * *

I wasn't sure how long or how far we rode. We just kept on following the old campsites. Just like I assumed, they were following the same path. However, when we reached the spring that fed the stream, where I had gone swimming with my friend so many times, I saw that they campsite here was different. It was much older, like from earlier in the year, closer to winter, maybe. There was barely anything left here to be a sign of an old campsite.

But there was one thing that was never easy to wash away, even in the harshest of weather. And that was blood. I could still see a bloodstain near the edge of the spring. Something had happened here… We were getting closer.

"Is that… _blood?_ " Zander asked slowly, his eyes wide.

"...I think so," I muttered. "Only a mage would be able to check, and neither of us are one..."

"I guess we're getting closer then..." He suddenly stood up straighter. "Uh, I mean… We must be getting closer, milady."

Oh, he really was trying _so_ hard… I had to give him credit for that. But at least his slip was a sign that he was loosening up a little around me.

"Hopefully," I said. "Alan will chew me out if I'm out here for too long."

Gods, have I mentioned how much I hate Alan's lectures? He's so long winded. One time, he talked for _two hours straight_. That had been _insane_. I really would prefer not to have a repeat of that.

I gave the area one more quick look around, before heading over to where Séamus was waiting for me. "Come on, Zander. Let's keep moving."

We still had ground to cover, and we'd have to go all the way back once we were done. And according to the sun's position, it was thankfully only a little after noon. We still had plenty of time.

* * *

In about an hour or so, we found something else.

The trees were getting more densely populated, so we had to dismount and lead our horses through, picking our way carefully. But then I saw an opening in the trees, so I decided to head in that direction. We stepped out into an open clearing, only to stop as soon as we entered.

It… looked like a war zone.

The ground was torn, with huge trenches deep in the soil. A large tent near the treeline was tattered, with only shreds remaining. Blood stained the earth, the worst I had ever seen before. And there was a particular tree—massive and ancient—that I immediately recognized as I realized I had been in this area before. That tree… I swear to Lavinia it wasn't on the exact same spot as I remembered. But that was impossible… right?

I ventured in, releasing Séamus's reins. It was obvious some sort of battle occurred here. This place had been a campsite, too… but for a lot more than three people. If those camps from earlier belonged to the Fey, then they must have lost a lot of members of their group. But who even had the power to nearly wipe out an entire party?

This was… unnerving. I didn't like it at all.

"Milady… you need to see this."

Zander's voice caught my attention, and I looked over to see where he was. Standing closer to the trees, he was pointing to something gray jutting out of the ground. I didn't have a clear enough view to see it from where I was, so I walked over to get closer. Stopping next to Zander, my eyes widened as I realized what it was.

A… gravestone.

A fairly large gray stone was jutting out of the earth, like someone had found the nearest rock to use as a grave marker. But the stone had no words carved in it; it was blank. I frowned, feeling a knot forming in my chest. Someone had died here… someone important enough for someone to mark their grave, even if they couldn't carve a name into the stone… I had no idea who perished, but I still felt sad.

And if the Fey had done this, and they were looking for golden blood… then I was the reason this person was murdered. That was not a good feeling to have.

"An unmarked gravestone..." I sighed. "I wish we knew who it was, so we could at least inform their family..."

"We can give them a moment of silence," Zander said quietly. "It's better than nothing, milady."

He was right, of course. I would still feel bad that their family would never know, but… it was better than nothing. So I nodded, and closed my eyes.

"Yes… let's do that."

By Lavinia's name, I would get to the bottom of this. If my suspicions were correct, no one would ever die because of me ever again.


	3. Eirian Lightfoot and Emrys Llewellyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 3: After receiving a warning from a Fey, Eirian returns home only to find that her family's past is coming back to haunt them.

"Tiarna, we're in position."

I looked up from my work on recasting the hexes on my daggers. It was Fiona, one of my agents—though _technically_ she was one of my personal guard. I nodded, and gave her a thumbs up before returning my attention to my work to finish it up real quick. Once I was done, I returned them to their sheaths strapped on my back and hopped up on my feet.

"All right," I said. "This is my favorite part of the day, y'know—nothing's better than killing slavers!"

Fiona laughed, resting a hand on her hip. "It _is_ our favorite pastime, isn't it?"

Her full name was Fiona Líadan [Lee-dan], and we had known each other since we were little girls. She and her twin brother Fionn [Fin] were my playmates, and like me, they had been victims of slavers. We were from the same group of children rescued from slavers. My adoptive mother, Queen Rhiannon Branwen Llewellyn herself, could not take in all of the babies, but made sure they all got good homes. Fiona and Fionn were the only ones out of the group who did not resent me for being taken in by the royal family.

Fiona was around my age, making her in her late one hundred nineties, early two hundreds. I was never sure. Years went by so slowly, and it wasn't like we elves aged every year like the short lived humans do. We were still very young for elves. I guess we're the equivalent of a human teenager, but less stupid. Anyways, she was very beautiful, even in elven standards. She wore her long, curly black hair in an elaborate braid, her skin was fair, and her eyes were dark green. She was wearing a fur lined, forest green jacket over her high collared emerald green tunic, black trousers, and black fur lined boots. She was my nature expert, having spent some time as a hunter.

In elven culture, hunters do not hunt for prey for us to consume, but instead hunt vicious beasts that endangered an entire forest. Because of that, a lot of her clothes are handmade and utilized the fur and skin of such beasts so they wouldn't just be thrown away. We elves believe that nothing should go to waste.

"Oh definitely," I snickered. "There's nothing I'd rather do—well, other than annoy my _adorable_ big brother."

I had one adoptive brother. If I had had any blood siblings, they had been killed along with my parents when the slavers kidnapped me. His name was Emrys, and he was the heir to the throne. He was about a century older than me, and the fact that he was even born was a miracle in itself. Our relationship was a bit… difficult.

You see, the Llewellyn family is ancient, and has always ruled Taeneia. But they got it in their heads that they needed to keep their unique magic in the family, quite literally. They practiced incest for generations, until ill effects set in. The king and queen before my mother were brother and sister, among other things, and the inbreeding led to their early deaths. Mam became queen at a young age, and used magic to keep her own illnesses in check. She had no siblings, and even so, she decided that the incest was destroying the family line and ended the tradition by marrying someone outside the family, a warrior named Gwydion, who sadly perished in our war with Niralle. But from what I had been told, it still was extremely difficult for Mam to have children, and it had been feared the Llewellyn family would end with her. I was adopted because she wanted another child, but could not conceive again.

"Ah, yes… you do torture Prince Emrys so," Fiona snorted. "We've been away from home for awhile. I look forward to returning."

"Once we've got this taken care of, we'll be on our way," I said. "Emrys's letter about Mam's got me worried."

A couple of days ago, I received a letter carried by Emrys's pet raven, Bran. It said that Mam's condition had suddenly worsened. I wished I could drop everything and head home, but the reason we were out here in the first place was because of her sickness. Before, Mam used her magic to put up a protective barrier around the borders of our kingdom, keeping out those with ill intent. But when her magic also stopped keeping her healthy, she could no longer maintain the barrier. So instead, we had to send out agents to rescue what kidnapped children we could.

Fiona nodded in agreement. "We shouldn't waste anymore time, then. Fionn is waiting with the others."

"Let's join them," I said. "Fionn's probably bored out of his mind, ready to quit again."

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "Oh, please. Fionn would never truly quit. He adores you far too much. He just likes to bitch about what we make him do."

I stayed crouched on a tree branch, shadowed by the still night. This was the perfect ambush. The slavers would be passing by soon. They typically traveled at night around here, since we were still pretty close to the border. It pissed me off how bold the humans could be, just waltzing onto our land, murdering our people, and stealing our children away to make themselves a profit.

Unlike my brother, I didn't believe all humans were cold-hearted bastards. Due to my job, I've spent a lot of time in Niralle. I've met and befriended a lot of good humans. Some of them do what they can to improve the elves' situation. But some of our people don't want to consider the Nirallean elves as lost citizens. A particular member of the Council of Druids holds this opinion very… strongly.

Movement caught my eye. There, below, I spotted the caravan we were seeking. It was moving at a slow, careful pace, the horses going only at a walk. Damn, this was easy. Maybe too easy. Either they were trying too hard to be discreet, or this was a trap. I really wasn't sure which at the moment. I whistled the signal, a specific bird call, to alert my agents to be cautious. Then, once the caravan had reached the designated spot, I gave my agents that were in the trees across from mine the hand signal. Then they dropped down.

Like always, it happened so fast. My agents pounced on the caravan, the horses spooked, there was shouting—I didn't even need to come down. The sound of babies crying erupted from the back of the caravan, and that made me decide to join in. I carefully jumped down from the tree branch, and didn't bother in trying to be stealthy. Regardless, when a man came running around to the back of the caravan, it was _my_ turn to pounce.

I leaped forward, catching the slaver asshole completely off guard. All I had to do was plunge my daggers into his chest, and with a strangled cry, he fell down. I let myself fall with him, using the momentum to propel myself off of him, removing my daggers from his chest in the process. I landed on my feet with ease right as Fionn came running back from the front of the caravan.

"Tiarna—oh, you took care of him."

I smiled cheerfully. "With pleasure."

Fionn resembled his sister a lot; in fact, they were identical in every way but gender. He had the same wildly curly black hair, which he wore sort of shaggy, pale skin, and dark green eyes. It would be an understatement to say that he was incredibly attractive; he has many admirers back at home. He was a bit on the short side for a male elf, but that just helped him be an even better at sneaking around. He wore a black fur lined cloak that his sister had made for him over his loose fitting green tunic, black trousers, and black boots. He was my urban specialist, having spent a lot of time on the streets.

Fiona came around the other corner then. "All the slavers have been eliminated. They really were not prepared to defend their cargo. I'm guessing they were first timers."

"Well, this will be their first and their last time kidnapping our people," I said.

Fionn stepped up and pulled back the tarp that covered the caravan. "Wow… there are only three babies in here."

"What? Really?" Fiona moved forward to look closer.

I joined them, standing in between. Indeed, there were only three babies wrapped up in blankets in one giant basket. They looked very young, maybe only two or three months old. I couldn't help but wonder if their parents were still alive, or if they had been murdered during the kidnappings… I hoped for their sakes that their parents were still alive. I was lucky, being adopted by the royal family. Fionn and Fiona, like most orphaned victims of slavers, grew up in an orphanage. According to Mam, there had been no need for orphanages before Niralle started enslaving our people. If a child lost their parents, there was usually _someone_ willing to take them in. But now there were too many orphans and not as many adults to want them.

"Well… there aren't as many babies to kidnap anymore," I offered as an explanation.

Still… this felt off.

Elves have a lower fertility rate compared to the humans and dwarves. Humans reproduce like mice, and while dwarves cared way too much about bloodlines, they still had no problem keeping the population going strong. It was much more complicated for us. Humans do have magic, but it's still very limited in their blood. For us… every elf has the innate ability to use magic. Every single elf is a mage of some kind. It's because our god, Ilmarinen, is the god of magic. For example, I have entropic magic, which allows me to debilitate my foes. Because of that, every elf has a better chance to have children with an elf that has the same kind of magic. An elf with primal magic may fall in love with an elf with creation magic, but eventually they have to part ways because our species' numbers are dwindling. That was also part of the reason that the Llewellyns practiced incest, since their magic is unique to their family and it was nearly impossible to continue the family line otherwise.

A scout had walked over while I was pondering over this. "Tierna, we've double checked the area and there are no signs of a possible ambush. These humans were the only people out here."

I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. "All right. Good work. Get the medics to check up on these kids."

He nodded, saluted—putting his right arm over his chest—and walked away. This had been a successful mission, but the fact that it had gone so quickly was sort of bothering me after several not so easy ambushes. Or maybe I was just being suspicious. Emrys could be finally rubbing off on me!

"What should _we_ do now?" Fiona inquired.

"Keep a look out-" I started to say, only to cut myself off as the sound of movement caught my attention.

We all whipped around towards the sound, drawing our weapons. Fionn and I unsheathed our daggers and Fiona knocking an arrow. But a familiar face raising his hands in surrender made me relax, and I lowered my weapons.

"Aeron, fancy seeing _you_ here," I said. "Let me guess… the weirdness of this job is _your_ work?"

The Fey grinned cheekily. "Guilty as charged, dear cousin! You're welcome, by the way."

Yeah… a Fey. In reality, all elves once were known as the Fey. We were strange magical creatures that humans just couldn't understand. Mam considered herself an only child, and most of Taeneia believed that. But only the royal family, and the most ancient of elves, knew that that was not the truth. We let the kingdom believe otherwise to protect them. If they knew that the Fey originated from the royal family… there could be an uprising.

Mam had had a twin sister, Mórríghan Branwen Llewellyn. That was a huge problem, seeing as the royal family needed a son and daughter for the family line to continue. When the king and queen, Conlaoch and Deidre Llewellyn, died only a century after their birth, Taeneia, called _Tír na nÓg_ back then, was thrown into chaos. The young sisters ruled the kingdom together from that point onward, all while searching for a way to cure their illnesses. But Mórríghan dabbled in more darker arts than Mam, and did… something. Mam never explained what exactly it was, but it turned her into what humans call the Fey now—a dark elf. The kingdom entered a civil war, split between its two queens, and the elves that sided with Mórríghan turned into the Fey. Eventually we managed to banish the Fey out of Taeneia, but not without thousands of casualties. The Fey moved underground or something, and Mórríghan changed her name to Mab. That was in ancient times, way before the humans' recorded history. They don't even know this happened.

But Mab was still Mam's sister, and that meant any children of hers were my adoptive cousins. I had no idea how she was able to have two children when I only had my big brother, but she had. Aeron was the youngest of the two, and from what he had told me in the past, he was expected to marry his sister, Maeve. Guess they had no issue with continuing the incest. But we had met by chance several years ago, and Aeron proved quite useful when it came to finding and killing slavers.

Fiona lowered her bow, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "I thought you weren't supposed to fraternize with us any longer."

Well, he was helpful until Maeve caught us.

Aeron laughed, giving a shrug. "You honestly think my sister could stop me from keeping the company of such lovely ladies?"

Fionn let out an exasperated sigh. "See, Eirian, this is what you get for… extra spicy fraternizing."

"Brother… what in Ilmarinen's name is _that_ supposed to mean?" Fiona demanded.

Okay, so I slept with the guy. It wasn't like we were blood related, and he was very attractive and very funny. He surprisingly had good character for a Fey, and sometimes told us news on what Mab and Maeve were up to. He loved his family, but he didn't care for the bad things they did. He really didn't fit in that well with the Fey culture.

"Oh? It sounds like Fionn is jealous," Aeron teased.

Fionn, naturally, did not respond well. His cheeks flushed bright red and he scowled, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. "I am _not_ jealous."

I giggled, covering my mouth with my hand. "Aw, you two are so cute! But there's no need to fight. You know we elves are very flexible when it comes to relationships."

"We weren't fighting," Fionn muttered under his breath.

Fiona sighed in irritation. "This is why I'm always staying single."

I waved her off. "Oh, you're such a party pooper! _No Fun Fiona_ is what your name should be! But, Aeron, seriously—why are you here?"

"I thought you should know about what my mother and sister are trying to do," he answered, his tone suddenly turning serious and catching me off guard. "As you should be aware, the Fey don't worship Ilmarinen. We worship… Zir. For the past few centuries, Mother has been investigating how to resurrect Zir—since before I was even born. And they've discovered a method."

I tensed. "And what exactly is this method?"

"I'm not sure exactly," he said. "They don't tell me much. We are a matriarchal society, after all. Men aren't given much authority. But I know that, whatever it is, it requires the golden blood of a maiden."

My eyes widened. "Dragon's blood? I guess that makes sense… Zir is a dragon, after all."

Fiona frowned. "But the dragons have been extinct for over a century."

"Well, that's where the Nirallean nobles come in," Aeron said. "It took us a while to piece it together. Before, all we knew was that some blonde noble girl had the golden blood. But then Mother got the idea to look at the records of all the nobles' bloodlines. The Fairfax family has dragon blood dating back to just after the fall of the Daemonium Empire."

"The Fairfaxes?" I echoed. "That sounds familiar. Emrys probably knows who they are. He remembers more about the politics of Aetaren than I do."

"Just be aware," Aeron warned. "I don't want the world to be destroyed, unlike most of the Fey. You should inform Queen Rhiannon as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, I will," I told him. "This is serious… We have enough problems already without having to worry about another doomsday."

Aeron smiled cheekily again. "Good. I'm glad that at least _one_ woman in this blasted world listens to me."

Oh, Aeron. You are seriously such a riot.

* * *

We parted ways with Aeron after that. If I hadn't been in such a hurry, I would spent some more _quality_ time with him, but matters were urgent at home. I was glad that we were close to the border at least, so we didn't have to travel too far with such young babies. As soon as we got to Sionnan, the capital, we went to the castle and handed the three babies over to the nurses that were waiting for us. Then I had to part ways with my friends, and go see my family.

Mam, like usual, was in her private lounge, where she spent her time when she was not needed in the throne room. The door was open, but heavily guarded. The guards nodded to me respectfully as I went inside. Even to this day, I found the room too modest. Mam did not blatant displays of wealth, and this showed in how our palace was decorated. First of all, the palace was carved into the insanely ancient tree that our stories say has been around since the creation of the world. It was all magic, of course.

Mam's lounge was near the canopy of the massive tree. Her lounge was actually a suite. There was a wall that cut in halfway at the back, hiding her bedroom and the balcony it opened up to. It was furnished quaintly, with potted plants arranged throughout the room, green vines climbing the wooden walls. It smelled pleasant, like lavender and vanilla. One painting hung on the walls among the vines—a painting of our entire family. It had Mam, Da, Emrys, and me. It had been done not long before Da's death. The furniture was simple—wooden, covered with plush green satin. Mam was leaning back on the loveseat, a book in hand.

She looked up as I entered, her intuition on point. "Ah, Eirian. I'm so glad to see you."

I gave her a bright smile and a wave, trying to hide how worried I felt, now that I was actually seeing her.

Rhiannon Branwen Llewellyn had once been a great, awe inspiring queen. But now, seeing her after being gone for a while, not in her royal robes or a magic glamor to hide how ill she was… made my heart sink deep into my chest. Emrys was right. She looked worse than she had when I last saw her.

Mam always had an ethereal beauty about her. She looked like one of the original Fey, otherworldly and magnificent. Even now, she retained some of that. She had perfectly straight black hair that fell all the way down to the ground, skin that was so pale it almost seemed translucent, and eyes as gray as storm clouds. But she hadn't always been that pale; hell, she hadn't been that way when I left. This was a new development… She was wearing her casual robes, a mix of soft shades of white, gold, and green.

"Mam," I greeted her, doing my best to keep up my cheerful facade. "I'm sorry I was gone for so long."

She waved me off, before gesturing for me to come closer. "Come sit with me, my dear."

I walked over, and sat down next to her on the couch. Mam had always been tall and willowy, like most elves, but it was obvious that her robes were hanging more loosely on her frame than before. She scooted over slightly to give me more room, and I pulled up my legs to curl up more comfortably.

"How are you feeling, Mam?" I asked.

A flicker of pain washed over her features, but she quickly tried to hide it with a reassuring smile. But I wasn't fooled. I had been trained in the art of deception. No one could get anything past me. She of all people would know this, but she was still trying to hide the truth from me. This… was worse than I feared.

"Do not worry about me, child," she said, that smile still on her lips. "I am fine."

"Mam… You and I both know you're lying."

She sighed heavily, closing her eyes. "Eirian..."

Incest affects elves differently than humans, apparently. Humans can get all deformed, their brains and blood both messed up. For elves, it just leaves us very… weak. Mam was susceptible to diseases that elves were normally immune to. She had to eat a strict diet to fuel her body. Emrys has a similar problem, but since his father was unrelated to his mother in any way shape or form, he is nowhere near as ill as Mam. He can function normally, with barely any signs of inbreeding. Mam's daily life is affected by her family's choices.

"Mam, _please_ ," I said. "You don't have to hide from Emrys and me." Though, speaking of my brother… "Where _is_ Emrys, by the way?"

She opened her eyes and sighed again. "He is… meeting with young ladies who are potential betrothal options."

...Wait, _what?_ Since when was my brother actually considering entering a partnership? He had said the only way he would ever do that was if Mam was-

If Mam was… _dying…_

I had always known it would come to this. Even as a little girl, growing up, I knew that Mam did not have many more centuries left in her. Every day she had was a miracle. But I never actually thought of the day actually coming. I had no memories of my birth parents, but I had already lost Da. Now Mam was on the verge of death…

If this did not play out exactly the right way… Taeneia could fall to anarchy. And I was sure that's exactly what the dark elves wanted.

"...I see," I muttered.

"It truly is a loss that Enid was taken from us," Mam said quietly. "She would have made a wonderful queen. And she got along well with Emrys."

Oh yeah… Enid had been the daughter of Lóegaire Bedivere, one of the members of the Council of Druids. She was a century or so older than my brother, and we knew her somewhat well. But about thirty years ago, she was captured by a group of elite slavers… and by elite, I mean they were _professionals_. We were unable to rescue her, as you can probably guess. Lóegaire never gave up the hope that his daughter still lives, but the rest of us have accepted that she's most likely dead. Thirty years were nothing for elves, but if she was _enslaved_ … She was better off dead.

"Emrys doesn't really play well with others, Mam," I said. "I'm not sure he'll be able to find someone willing to put up with him."

Mam chuckled softly. "Other than you, perhaps."

I snorted. "It's true. He couldn't find a more _fabulous_ partner than someone as _amazing_ as myself."

"...Dear, I was being serious."

My eyes widened. "Mam?!"

She sighed. "I know what you're thinking—I thought we were ending the marrying in the family business. While yes, you two do not share any blood relations. Emrys needs someone who can balance his… extremes out. You're the only one I know who can do that, dear."

...She had a point, of course. And while I did call Emrys my brother, he never once acknowledged me as his sister. When I was kid, that always bothered me. I had worried that I wasn't good enough to be part of the family. I had gotten over that ages ago, but Emrys's treatment of me never changed. Maybe it was for the best, if this was what was going to come to be.

And it wasn't like I _hadn't_ thought of Emrys in that way. With all the times he's said, "You're not my sister!" it was kind of hard _not_ to. Like I said, our relationship was… difficult. He had never treated me like his sister, and while yeah, I called him my brother at times, and I did consider him family, it was different between us. I wasn't sure how he would feel about this.

"You should go down and see him," Mam continued when I said nothing. "He should be in the gardens behind the palace."

"All right," I said, sliding off the couch. "I'm going to go change out of my work clothes first, though. Gods, I have no idea how humans can cover themselves up so much all the time!"

Mam chuckled quietly. "Very well. I shall see you at dinner then, my dear."

I nodded. "Keep relaxing until then, Mam. There's no need to push yourself."

We exchanged goodbyes, and then I left to go to my own suite. It was exactly as I had left it a few months ago. I dumped my bag on the floor, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. Ah… the familiar scent of roses. Mam had kept roses in my room as a baby and I'd kept the habit up. My room was decorated in light colors, with the fur of a white tiger as a rug. Fiona had hunted it and gave me the pelt as a gift. Half of the lounge was dedicated to my music. I was, in all technicalities, a bard. I had a desk for writing songs and other things. I can play the flute, the lute, the ocarina, the harp, _and_ the harpsichord—all of which were arranged on or against the left wall. I headed back to my bedroom to look for clean clothes, stripping out of my bloodstained gear.

In elven culture, clothes aren't a huge deal. Many elves don't even wear clothes. We just don't feel the need to hide our bodies from each other. Still, nobles do tend to wear some form of clothing, as a sign of their status. I personally prefer wearing as little as possible while still looking cute. I decided on a sleeveless crop top and a pair of shorts. We also go barefoot around here. I missed not having to wear boots. I stretched a little, sighed contently, and headed off to find Emrys.

The gardens were behind the palace, like Mam said. I used to play there all the time with Fionn and Fiona as a kid. We got into all sorts of mischief together. They were extensive, going out for at least a mile. Celebrations and important meetings were usually held here. The gardens were made of a maze of hedges and flowers the colors of the rainbow. It was gorgeous and coming here always made me feel peaceful. That is, until I spotted my brother among a group of elven women, sitting on cushions on the stone dais that was centered around a bunch of hedges, several yards away from the back of the palace. Wow, that looked boring. Time to spice things up!

"EMRYSSSS!" I exclaimed with glee before launching myself at him, doing a handstand before flipping myself up to land right on his shoulders, knocking him forward a little. "WOO!"

"...Eirian," he muttered in a very ornery voice.

I leaned forward, trying to take a peek at his face. "Aww, someone sounds grumpy. Do you need a hug?"

"...I need you to get off of me."

I giggled, covering my mouth with my hand. "Sorry, no can do. You're really comfy."

He let out an exasperated sigh, and sat up straight. "Please forgive Eirian for her lack of conduct."

I gave all of the girls a friendly wave. "Please forgive Emrys for being constantly grouchy."

"I am not-" He cut himself off and this time let out a sigh of frustration. "Did Mother send you to harass me?"

"No, she sent me to braid your luscious locks of hair." I began to run my fingers through his silky smooth hair. "I'm jealous, you know. My hair stays messy no matter how hard I try to tame it."

"Eirian..." That dangerous edge that his voice got when he was mad was starting to creep in.

By now, all the girls were staring at us, looking uncomfortable. I tend to have that affect on nobles. No one really knows how to handle my playfulness. Even my family can't completely handle me. I was used to it, but sometimes it got a bit annoying, because I knew I was being judged for being myself. I didn't fit being a royal for a reason.

"So!" I exclaimed, crossing my arms on top of Emrys's head, leaning down to rest my chin on them. "All of you are the lovely ladies that Mam has picked for my brother?"

One of them, a brunette who I felt I should recognize but didn't, winced slightly, but nodded. "Yes, we are."

"I see, I see." I paused for a moment, like I was contemplating something. "So… how many of you are just here because you want to become queen?"

All of them stiffened, like I had caught them red handed. I knew there was something suspicious about this whole thing. I may be the younger one, but _someone_ has to look out for Emrys. Mam couldn't protect him anymore.

When none of them responded, I smiled sweetly. "I think we're done here."

I wasn't about to let anyone use Emrys.

* * *

I watched Emrys pace back and forth, like he was ruminating over how to chew me out for what happened in the gardens. We had headed back inside after all the women had left. Now that we were alone, I could really look at him, to see if he was okay. Emrys was hard to read, but after growing up together, I could read him like a book.

Emrys appeared to be in his mid twenties or so, about the age that elves stopped aging at for a long time. He was tall and lean, fit in a way that only a trained warrior could be. He had long, pin straight pale blond hair, fair skin, and the same stormy gray eyes as his mother. He had his hair done in the same way as always—down but half of it up in a ponytail. He had always preferred to be fully clothed for some reason, and today he was wearing a long sleeved, high collared black military style shirt, black trousers, and black boots. He really likes his black.

It was obvious that he was angry with me. Okay, maybe _furious_ was a better word. The way he was pacing, with his hands clenched into fists at his sides, just screamed _I'm pissed off_. I was just waiting for him to blow, honestly. It would come eventually.

Finally, he whipped around to face me. "You just ruined _everything_."

"What? I did not." I shook my head at him. "Come on, Emrys. Those women would never truly care about you."

"This isn't about how I or how they feel," he retorted icily. "This is about the future of Taeneia."

I sighed, leaning back on the stump I was sitting on. "You don't need a partner to become king, Emrys."

"I am well aware, Eirian." Scowling, he crossed his arms over his chest, and looked away. "I'm concerned about the future of the Llewellyn legacy."

...Of course he was. Emrys was so proud of his heritage, despite the dark history we kept secret from the public. His bloodline was his pride and joy. He would do anything to protect our family, and I feared that someday that could be used against him. That was something the dark elves would do.

"Emrys… I understand that, I really do," I said. "But your happiness is important too."

He looked back up, narrowing his eyes. "Is that all you care about? Happiness?"

"I care about a lot of things," I said. "Keeping the family going is great and all, but I don't think life is worth living if you're not happy."

He shook his head. "Life is never that simple, Eirian. Sometimes you must sacrifice your happiness for the greater good. Our people are more important than my own personal feelings."

Oh, I knew what he was talking about now. _Us._ Our difficult relationship. How we were siblings, but not siblings. How it had never been _that simple_ for us.

Sighing softly, I pushed myself up from the stump and walked up to him. He seemed to stiffen, wary of what I was up to. I didn't blame him, but I wasn't planning on being mischievous right now. I needed to try to get through to him.

"Emrys..." I said softly, looking up at him.

"...Eirian, don't." He closed his eyes. "You know I… You know we can't."

"The only thing stopping us is yourself," I said quietly. " _You're_ the one who chose not to. _You're_ the one who gets jealous when I spend the night with others. _You're_ the one who pushes me away. Yet when _I_ try to care for you, try to protect you, you get all angry, and I'm suddenly the villain."

I could almost sense how tense he was. His entire body was rigid, his hands clenched into fists so tight his skin was turning white. He was doing everything in his strength to not acknowledge how close I was standing next to him. I reached up to place my hand over his heart.

"We _aren't_ related, Emrys. You know that. We were just raised by the same parents. You've _never_ acknowledged me as your sister. We both know how each other feel… Why are we still pretending like nothing has happened?"

It had been a few years ago. Our relationship had always been… tense. Every summer, we would go out to the forest lake to swim. That year, Mam wasn't well enough to go with us, so we went by ourselves. I always skinny dip when I swim, and playing with Emrys sort of… escalated. We kissed, got a little hands on—it felt amazing. But we were forced to address our not so sibling appropriate feelings, and we hadn't been the same since.

"Mother..." he started to say like he was trying to find another excuse.

"Mam wants us _both_ to be happy, Emrys."

For a moment, I thought it wasn't working, that he was still going to refuse to listen. Of course he would continue to be so damn stubborn. I started to pull my hand away, but his hand darted to grasp mine, stopping me. I admit I was surprised, and it probably showed on my face.

"I… am so tired of this," he muttered.

"Then let's stop," I said, like it was the most logical answer in the world.

It was then that he finally kissed me.

Dropping my hand, he grabbed me by the waist, pulling me close as he leaned down to smash his lips to mine. I leaned up as much as I could, reaching up to place my hands on his shoulders to help. His hands were rough, and his kisses weren't gentle, but I didn't care. Every kiss reminded me of everything I had ever wanted, every day I spent without his touch, every moment I had been left longing. I wasn't new to this, but Emrys made me feel like I was. And then I found myself being pushed against the wall, my bare skin jolted a little from touching the cool wood. We both pulled back at that, breathing heavily.

"See? Isn't this _so_ much better?" I teased lightly.

He kissed me on the lips again, but then began to slowly trail kisses along my jaw and then down to my neck, where he stopped. "It would be even better if I had you all to myself."

"I never said we had to stop here."

He pulled back, and looked into my eyes, mild surprise flickering over his handsome features. "You mean..."

"Yes, I mean!" I exclaimed in slight exasperation. "Gods, Emrys, I wouldn't have brought it up if I didn't mean all the way."

He grew silent, like he was contemplating all of this. Damn, if he was going to take this long, he might waste the moment. And I wasn't sure if I'd be able to convince him again after this.

"...Whose room?"

His voice snapped me out of my internal groveling. Well, all that worrying had been for nothing.

"Yours," I answered happily. "Your bed has a lot more room than mine."

My reasoning must have amused him, because he smiled—the first smile I had seen him give in such a long time. "Very well. My room it is, then."

I flashed a cheerful grin before taking his hand and pulling him towards the door that led to where all of our bedrooms were.

* * *

Long story short, Emrys and I finally had sex. And despite his lack of experience, Emrys did fairly well. It wasn't _perfect_ , but I hadn't expected it to be. Still, I was content. How could I not be? I never thought this would happen, yet here we were.

But now that we were finished and had rested a bit, Emrys had gotten up to get dressed. I was still in bed, relaxing while I watched him. I hadn't felt _this_ happy in a long time, so I didn't want to lose it by getting up to leave. But it was too tempting to slide out and slink up behind him as he was standing in front of the mirror and hug him.

"It's a good thing you like wearing high collars," I commented lightly as I peeked around him to look in the mirror, noticing the numerous love bites I had left on him. "Imagine the gossip if anyone saw."

He let out an exasperated sigh. "You're very pleased with yourself, aren't you?"

"Shouldn't I be?" I laughed.

He muttered something under his breath before gently pushing me away. "Please put some clothes on."

"Aw, you're still no fun," I whined. "Fiiine, I'll get dressed."

I looked around for where my clothes were haphazardly thrown onto the floor, and when I spotted them, I walked over to pick them up and put them back on. I had just pulled my shorts on when a loud horn blew, a signal throughout all of Sionnan. I froze, my blood running cold as I realized what that meant.

That horn wasn't used unless… unless the dark elves show up.

"Eirian..." I looked over to see Emrys looking at me, his eyes widened to show as much emotion as he ever dared.

"I'm on it," I said, quickly grabbing my top to pull it on.

Without another word, I ran out of the room, making a beeline for my own. There was no time to put on armor. There was no guarantee that this was an attack; the dark elves had visited us in peace before. But after Aeron's warning, I wasn't so sure how much longer they would be willing to be peaceful. I put on my belt, snatched up my sheathed daggers, attached the sheaths to my belt, and hurried out of my room. I wasn't surprised to see Fionn and Fiona rushing down the hallway, most likely looking for me.

"Eirian!" Fiona exclaimed, before letting out a sigh of relief as they stopped in front of me. "Thank Ilmarinen we found you so quickly."

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"Queen Mab has arrived with Princess Maeve, Prince Aeron, and the entirety of their elite forces," Fionn responded grimly. "They claim they're only here to see Queen Rhiannon, but this is an obvious display of force."

Ugh… this was bad. I ran a hand through my hair. Mab had tried to intimidate Mam into submission before, but it had never worked. These 'family talks' never ended happy.

"Okay, we need to hurry to the throne room then," I said. "I need to be there to support Mam."

The twins nodded in agreement, and proceeded to follow me as I headed down the hallway. I had to navigate my way through the palace to reach the throne room. Along the way, we met up with Emrys and his two person guards, Conall Eoghan and Neasa Ardghal. Unlike Fionn and Fiona, they were soldiers specifically trained to protect the royal family. They were chosen to be Emrys's guards more than a century ago.

Conall was handsome with his short dark brown hair, light tan, and brown eyes. He was a pure warrior, probably one of the most robust elves I had ever seen before. Neasa had a practical beauty about her, being a warrior as well. She kept her light red hair long, but always put it back into a bun when she went to work. She was more lithe, like a panther stalking its prey, as compared to Conall's tendency to rely on brute force. I wasn't sure how old they were, but I believe they're both older than Emrys.

By the time we reached the throne room, the hallway leading up to it was already lined with dark elf soldiers. Ilmarinen's balls, there were so many of them. Emrys seemed to change his stance as we walked by, standing more upright and raising his chin. He did that whenever dealing with the dark elves, or with humans, since he viewed himself as superior to them— _especially_ humans.

We entered the throne room after two of the soldiers opened the doors for us. We strode inside, the room stretching out before us. It was massive, forming a circle, the walls and floor made of perfectly polished wood. Far across the room, behind the magnificent throne that was carved out of a tree itself, was a stained glass window that reflected a rainbow of light into the room. The throne was elevated on a dais carved with the elaborate design of an ancient tree. Mam was sitting on the throne, naturally, and our own soldiers lined the walls.

And there, standing in front of the throne, below the dais, was none other than Queen Mab, with Maeve on her right side, and Aeron on her left. Fionn, Fiona, Conall, and Neasa stood back while Emrys and I went around them, scaled the steps leading up to the dais, and joined our mother.

"I apologize for the wait, Mother," Emrys stated stiffly, not taking his eyes off of our enemies.

She lifted her hand to wave him off. "There is no need to apologize, my child."

I took my spot on Mam's left side, which was sadly across from Maeve, not Aeron. But Aeron did, however, sneak a little wave to me, which I returned.

"Now Mab… what is so urgent that you marched an entire faction of your military into my peaceful kingdom?" Mam sounded weary, yet somehow still retained a no nonsense tone.

Now, I normally was not easily intimidated. But there was… _something_ about Queen Mab that made me uneasy. She just gave off this aura of _something really is not right_. It also didn't help that she was identical to Mam facial structure wise. When she was still an elf, they had been identical twins. Her once black hair was now white as a bone, falling straight to the floor like curtains. Her ebony skin was so dark, it seemed even darker than her children's, like she was radiating malevolence. Her robes were similar to Mam's, except they were colored black, silver, and red.

"Oh, _please_ , Rhiannon," Mab deadpanned. "Don't act like you have no idea. Last time we met, we did not come to an agreement. We _will_ come to one today."

Emrys narrowed his eyes. "Are you _threatening_ us?"

Maeve rolled her eyes. "We would never bother wasting time with worded threats."

Aeron chuckled. "Come now, friends, there is no need to be so tense! And that includes you, my dear sister."

She turned her head to glower at him. "You truly are _too_ relaxed, brother."

"Children, enough," Mab snapped. "You are representing the Unseelie Court."

...Right, I'd forgotten the royal court had been split in two and given names when Mab and her followers became dark elves. We still in Taeneia are the Seelie Court, and the betrayers are the Unseelie Court. To the commoners, it was the Summer Court and the Winter Court. I never understood where those names came from.

But both of them shut up at their mother's reprimand. I still was really confused about this. It had to have been at least fifty years since the last time the Unseelie Court came to Taeneia. I had been younger, so I hadn't really been paying much attention around that time.

"Then what is it that you wish to negotiate?" Mam inquired.

"Don't play coy with me," Mab stated, her voice like steel. "You know what we discussed last time. We, the true Fey, should not be ostracized from Tír na nÓg—or what remains of it after what you've done to it."

Mam narrowed her eyes. "You, the _true_ Fey? Embracing the darkness inside yourself does not make you truer than we who tame it. There has not been a 'true Fey' since the Ancient Ones were murdered by your ambition."

... _That_ was what had happened?

I had heard stories of the Ancient Ones, elves that had been alive since the beginning of time. They were said to be amazingly powerful, possessing wisdom and knowledge that no one else dare dreamed to have. They supposedly were what the Council of Druids consisted of before our current council. I had always wondered what happened to them.

Mab rolled her eyes. "Ripping a hole in the sky was my greatest pleasure."

"As was sealing it mine," Mam replied coldly. "I will not give you access to the most powerful essences in nature to fuel your desire to access the Eternity."

Wait, so… the dark elves became dark because they tried to access the spirit world? I guess that made sense. We elves were said to be made of magic after all, unlike how the humans are said to be made of the earth and dwarves are made of stone. It was said that if you enter the Eternity before your time, without invitation, you become corrupted by the spirits that call it home. But I never really _believed_ that that was true. It was just a superstition, right?

"You think you can avoid destiny?" Mab demanded icily. "I have seen the future. Zir _will_ rise again, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop that."

Mam sighed, shaking her head. "The dreams the demons give you are not true like the visions seers have. And you, dear Mórríghan, are not a seer. We may be powerful mages, but we cannot see the future."

For Ilmarinen's sake… Did she really think she could see the future? Magic doesn't work like that. Everyone knew that.

"You are rigid in your beliefs as always," Mab said, sounding a bit… disappointed. "But you should know this—Aetaren cannot remain the same. We will enter a new era, whether you like it or not. But whether this new era will be ushered in by my lord Zir, or by that useless _other_ goddess, will be determined over the next decade. This I have foreseen."

Regardless if it was true or not… the fact that Mab genuinely believed this was going to happen was not good. Mam always said that belief leads to more wars than anything else. The dark elves were intent on following this path, and nothing we did could block them from it. Taeneia was not the power it used to be. And they knew it.

"Admit it, Rhiannon," Mab said. "Taeneia is weak. _You_ are weak. Submit to us, and we will bring the return of Tír na nÓg."

Mam stiffened, as did Emrys. He looked like he wanted to say something, probably to tell the other queen off or something, but he held his tongue. But Mam slowly pushed herself up from the throne, standing up to her full height. For a moment, a heavy silence fell, settling on the tension in the room.

Yeah… things would not be the same after today.

"We will never submit, Queen Mab."

I had never heard my mother's voice so… harsh… so… _cold_. Seeing her like this, gazing upon her twin sister like she had truly and finally lost her. And I had never heard her actually call her sister by her new title. For years, it had always been Mórríghan, like she didn't want to acknowledge how far her sister had fallen. But now… after hearing all of this… she must have finally accepted it. Mam had to know there was no turning back. It as too late. It _had_ been too late all this time. I couldn't imagine how much this must be hurting her.

"Taeneia may not be the Tír na nÓg we remember—the kingdom we grew up in. But kingdoms rise and fall. They must enter and exit eras. Perhaps change is coming, but not in the way you foresee. We shall not support your descent into darkness. _I_ will not support your descent into darkness."

Mab said nothing at first. She just stood there, holding her sister's gaze. The soldiers were tense, ready to jump to action in case the dark elves tried anything. Even Emrys had his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. I had moved my hands down to my daggers, too. But then Mab just closed her eyes… and nodded.

"If that is your will, then so be it," she stated indifferently. "Just remember that the next time we meet… it shall not be on peaceful terms. We _will_ reclaim Tír na nÓg as our own."

With that, she turned around, and walked out of the throne room. Her children turned and followed after her. Once they had vanished through the doorway, I heard the soldiers out in the hallway march after them. As for us, we just stood there, trying to process what the hell had just happened.

Mam's weary sigh caught our attention as she carefully lowered herself back down onto the throne. "Gods help us..."

Emrys darted closer to her side. "Mother, are you all right?"

When she didn't answer, he looked over at me. I shook my head slightly and stepped closer to join him. Bugging her about how she was feeling wasn't going to help matters.

"Aeron warned me about this," I said quietly, gaining both of their attentions. "He doesn't like it either."

Emrys's body went rigid. "You spoke with him?"

"Briefly, yes, before heading back home," I answered. "He wanted me to know, so I could tell you. But I never got the chance."

He narrowed his eyes. "You could have mentioned this sooner."

"I _just_ got home!" I retorted. "I didn't want to dump political shit on anyone yet! And like it even matters. They came marching on our doorstep to let us know what they're doing."

Emrys let out an agitated sigh, pressing a hand to his forehead. "Mother, what will we do?"

"There is nothing we _can_ do." Mam's voice was… hollow. "But sit and wait. We are not the most powerful nation in Aetaren anymore. That would be Niralle."

"And we cannot ask them for aid," Emrys said stiffly. "Not when they steal our children and bicker among themselves like wild dogs."

"Thanor would have been our best ally if the dragons were still alive," Mam sighed wearily. "I know a few yet live, but… that is not enough to squelch this force."

"Well… who said we had to ally with _all_ of Niralle?" I asked. "There are a few noble families that do not support King Uther or the slave trade. We could seek them out, appeal to them. We could even offer to help fuel a rebellion. You know how much they despise _Uther the Terrible_."

"A new ruler could potentially benefit us as well," Emrys mused. "They could end the slave trade."

I smiled and nodded. "Exactly! See, you do have a brain!"

He gave me a sour look. "You are insufferable."

I giggled mischievously. "Yet you still love me!"

Mam laughed warmly. "You both bring me such joy… but yes, I agree. This is a brilliant course of action. Thank you, Eirian."

Emrys sighed in exasperation before crossing his arms over his chest. "Who exactly should we send on such a delicate mission to locate these nobles?"

"How is that even a question? It should be obvious," I said, matter-of-fact, putting my hands on my hips. "There are no better spies in Taeneia than my agents and me. I will personally take this journey with Fionn and Fiona, if that is acceptable to you, Mam."

She sighed, but nodded. "Yes… we cannot take any chances. You must seek these nobles out. I will personally recommend that you first head to Stormreach, the duchy led by the Fairfax family. They were allies of Thanor and have claims to the throne. You will need them to overthrow King Uther."

Oh yeah, I vaguely remember hearing that somewhere. In a ballad or something. It wasn't one of the songs I knew, though. I needed to change that if I was to meet these Fairfaxes.

"All right," I said. "I'll let Fionn and Fiona know what's up, and we'll leave as soon as we're able."

Mam nodded. "When you do, please come see me first."

"Of course, Mam!" I looked over at my new lover. "Do _you_ want a visit too, Emrys?"

"Hmph. Perhaps I would." Relaxing a little, he lowered his arms. "If you'll excuse me, Mother, I should get to damage control. The military needs to know."

"Yes, please do that," Mam said. "We can discuss this more at dinner."

He nodded in agreement, and then we watched as he walked away, leaving us in the throne room. Mam also gestured for the soldiers to leave, and they marched out, with only the usual guard staying. I was about to head out myself to find my friend, but Mam cleared her throat, catching my attention.

"Is there something else, Mam?" I asked, looking back at her.

"Yes..." Her gaze met mine. "Have you mentioned my proposal at all to Emrys?"

"...No," I answered. "Was I supposed to? Because I can fix that."

She shook her head, leaning back on the throne. "No, no. He may be more responsive if I speak with him. But honestly, now is not the time to be worrying about these things. My sister is about to lead a march to destroy the entire world. That is more important than the succession of the royal family. As I have said… eras come and go. Perhaps we, the Llewellyns, have come to the end of our era."

My eyes widened. "Mam… don't say that. The Llewellyns have done so much for Taeneia—for all of Aetaren."

"Regardless, we are the reason the dark elves exist," she sighed. "This has weighed on my heart for so many centuries. I must find a way to rectify this, to atone for the evil we've released upon the world."

"Mam..."

I had never imagined how hard it must be on her, knowing her own twin sister wanted to destroy the world. But how could she blame herself?! It wasn't her doing… I didn't understand.

"...There is someone specific you must find." She looked up to meet my gaze. "The one who is the key to keeping the world safe."

"Who?" I asked. "I find them, no matter what it takes."

"Ages ago, after the fall of Tír na nÓg, Zore spoke to me." Mam closed her eyes. "She told me that someday Zir may rise again to wreck havoc on the entire world. She told me that someday the dragons will fall, and we will sink into an age of discord—the Storm Age, as the humans call it. As a goddess, Zore has seen the future. She told me of a child that she will choose to be her champion—a human who shares ancestors with dragons, whose blood runs gold with their power."

A human… with the blood of dragons? That sounded familiar… like who Aeron said the dark elves were searching for to revive Zir. All of the pieces were coming together, like a puzzle, and I wasn't liking it one bit.

"Do you know who they are?" I asked.

"The Fairfaxes are descended from the dragon Razeth and the Nirallean hero Titania," Mam stated, opening her eyes to meet my gaze. "The only humans capable of having dragon blood are them. Therefore, when you seek them out, you should find Zore's champion."

"Did she narrow it down to which one?" I asked.

Mam shook her head. "No. She did not have the time. I have tried asking her many times, but she is trapped deep in slumber after the loss of her people."

Figures… Well, I imagine this champion was probably on the younger side. They needed to have time to kick dark elf butt. And since the dark elves were looking for a maiden, I was going to guess the champion was female. That helped a little, at least.

"All right… I'll see what I can do," I said. "You can count on me, Mam!"

She smiled softly, and nodded. "I know, little one."

But the one terrifying thing about all of this… was the fact that the fate of the world now rested on our shoulders.


End file.
